Meet the Grangers
by LadyHeath
Summary: Sequel of 'A Day in Hermione'. As always, rated M for steamy scenes and language. Sudden visitors along with childhood friends: suddenly it doesn't seem so perfect anymore.
1. Chapter 1: Meet Anna and Will

'Mom, Dad!' Hermione cried as she jumped out of the train before it had even stopped moving, leaving her trunk behind. Her feet hit the ground and she ran towards her parents' outstretched arms.

'Hermione, be careful!' Draco yelled out of the window in reflex, before noticing the odd looks the other occupants of the carriage was giving him. 'What, can't a man show some concern for his girlfriend?' he snapped. Harry and Blaise exchanged a look and seemed to be biting on their tongues to refrain from laughing. Ginny, for once in the entire ride, tore her gaze from Blaise and Harry and laughed openly, only to be joined by her brother.

_I'm sharing a bloody train carriage with not one, but TWO bloody Weasleys and the one and only Potter. My, I must be going mad._

Finally the train pulled to a gradual stop, and when they got off, Hermione was already waiting for them. She beamed as Draco walked down and he entwined his fingers around her.

'You almost gave me a heart attack back there,' he said. Her grin widened even more.

'Ah, just like your Father.' She teased. He scowled as he handed her trunk to her, and she staggered under the weight. _How did he manage to carry my trunk and his and act like they're just two feathers?_

'Here, let me do it.' He offered, and took the trunk from her without another word. They continued their pace to her parents, and he started to actually get a tinsy bit nervous. He usually didn't bother if people liked him or not, but they mostly do, due to his usual charm and looks, but these were Hermione's parents. They could forbid Hermione from seeing Draco if they wanted, and although he was sure that wouldn't stop Hermione; he still wanted them to get along. _Funny, Hermione really had changed me._

He approached them with his usual smile that he plastered on his face at the dead-boring tie-events his Father forced him to go, knowing it could charm anybody. It seemed to work; her parents relaxed into their easy smiles as well.

'Hello! You must be Draco!' Hermione's mother was the first to speak. Draco put down the trunks and shook her extended hand.

'Nice to meet you, Mrs. Granger.' He said dutifully. 'You too, Mr. Granger.' He extended his hand, which Hermione's father accepted good-naturedly.

'Call me Anna, Draco. You can call my husband Will. Let's do away with all the formalities, shall we?' Anna asked, giving a knowing smile to the blushing Hermione, hinting at the subject that Draco had been avoiding for the past 3 weeks. Draco groaned inside, but he kept his smile on his face natural.

'Draco!'

_Oh bloody hell_, Draco would recognize the voice anywhere. How can he ever forget how the voice barked at him when he lost his first Quidditch match to Potter; and neither could he forget how the voice had yelled at him for running around the house in his muddy boots. 'Have you any shame, should a visitor be here?' the voice had boomed. Draco turned around with a determined look; if his father would rather they come to blows in public, so be it. It wasn't Draco's pride that was going to be hurt, that's for sure.

'Excuse me for a moment,' he said to his confused welcoming party, before stalking off to his father with a swift turn.

'Father, did you not receive my letter?' Draco inquired in an indignant tone as he reached his Father. 'Mother,' he softened his tone visibly as he kissed her hand, bowing. His Mother gave him a loving smile, 'Draco.'

'Yes, and didn't you receive my reply?' Lucius interrupted their little mother-son bonding session, much to Draco's annoyance. Lucius was too busy rattling on to notice the scowl on Draco's features.

'What's this about this silly visitation? No matter, you are not going anywhere except for home where I have enough doctors on your case. Rest assured we will find a cure for whatever befuddled spell the Mudblood has cast on you. Now come along.' Lucius turned and walked off, expecting Draco to follow him, but Draco stood rooted in his spot, with a defiant glare directed at Lucius.

'Draco?' Lucius turned around with a pleased smile, thinking that Draco had been following him, but his smile dropped off his face as he saw that Draco was still where he was a few moments ago. His eyes bulged out as he stalked to Draco, and they were practically nose-to-nose, except that Draco was taller. 'You are following me, young man. Now.'

'I don't think so, Father, and don't ever call her a Mudblood.' Draco spat the word acidly. 'And I already told you, I have plans after school.'

'And those plans will be cancelled because this is more important!' Lucius seemed to have a hard time restraining his voice, but nonetheless, people were already looking. 'And I will call her a Mudblood as and when I like!'

'Come on, dear, everyone is looking. Let Draco be, he'll come back later.' Narcissa said in a soft but firm tone. She squeezed Lucius' arm, trying to get him to walk away, but Lucius shook her off.

'No, I'll only go when Draco accompanies us back.' He said through gritted teeth.

Draco was quite enjoying this. He had never gotten his Father this angry before. Only Dil had succeeded. _Ah, wouldn't she be so proud of me_.

'Well, then, happy waiting. I plan to be staying with them for a long time.' Draco offered a smug smile. His Mother gave him the quickest wink, telling him she approved of it, but straightened before his Father could notice.

'Enough. Of. This. Nonsense!' Lucius grabbed Draco by the collar. 'You're either coming back home now, or you'll never come back!' he threatened.

'Fine by me!' Draco said impulsively. Did his Father honestly think that threatening him with his inheritance could scare him?

'All right then, you've said it, do not regret it! Let's leave, Narcissa!' Lucius barked, Apparating. Draco turned on his heel and walked back to Hermione and her parents, forming an excuse already._Sorry about that, my Father's a bit mental. Heavy work, he does... Nothing hereditary, no worries..._

'Everything all right, Draco?' Hermione asked cautiously.

'Yeah, Father was a bit...' he furrowed his eyebrow, wondering how to say it without causing Anna and Will to think badly of Draco, the son Lucius supposedly brought up. 'You know.'

'Ah, right.' Anna gave a knowing smile, and gestured for them to start walking.

'Oh, wait, Mom! I have yet to say goodbye to Harry and Ron! Be right back!' Hermione dashed off. Draco stared after her, an affectionate smile tugging on his lips without his knowing, as he folded his arms, relaxing.

'You really do like her, don't you, Draco?' Anna laughed, twining her arm around Will's.

Draco turned around to face them. 'How can I not? Hermione's the most honest girl I've known. Not to mention selfless. And smart. Oh, she's _very_ smart.' He offered another easy smile.

'Ah, that sounds like our Hermione.' Will said, his eyes twinkling.

'So what house were you in, Draco?' Anna asked interestedly.

'Slytherin.' Draco said, before mentally biting his lip. Should he have told them? He would have bet Hermione had told them countless of stories concerning the Slytherins, and if anyone of them were praising, Draco would abstain for the rest of his life.

'Ah, Hermione's told us a lot of stories about you Slytherins.' Anna laughed, giving Will a knowing smile.

'Ah, figures. We Slytherins don't have a very good reputation with others from different houses. In fact in Slytherin we're all quite isolated as well. It's mostly a small group, no more than five. We even have to fend ourselves from our housemates.' Draco said.

'That sounds pretty tough. Where did you grow up, Draco?' Will asked. Ah, so this must be the minor interrogation Hermione had warned Draco of.

'I grew up in the Malfoy Manor; it's been housing my family for generations. I grew up mostly without my Father, my Mother's always been the one there for me, along with the house-elves.' Draco said, telling the rehearsed truth he and Hermione had come up with. Hermione said her parents weren't picky, but they were protective of their only daughter, so when it came to the first interrogation, Draco had to pass it with flying colours.

'Ah, that was your father just now, wasn't it? Both of you look almost the same! Except that...

'You're a bit taller.'

'I'm a bit taller,' they finished together. Everyone commented on the two splitting images, and they always noted that Draco was taller, much to his delight.

'Yeah, you're a fine looking man, Draco. Hermione must be so lucky to have you.' Anna smiled warmly. Draco smiled back, but his mind was reeling. _Weren't three quarters of the Slytherin stories she told about him?_

'No, I'm lucky to have her.' Draco corrected her, gaining a smile from both parents. _Ah, score! Draco Malfoy passes the test, hands down!_

'Back! We can leave now!' Hermione cheered as she jumped to Draco's side. Draco gave her an amused smile. Never had he seen Hermione this excited.

'Calm down, Hermione, you're jumping around like a mad-hatter.' Will laughed, placing a hand on his daughter's bushy head, trying to stop her from jumping.

'Sorry Dad, but I can't help it! This is just going to be so wonderful, you'll see!' She promised, as she twirled around, still holding on to Draco. People were giving them weird looks again, mostly to Hermione.

Draco saw Pansy's malicious sneer and saw her open her mouth. Almost immediately he yelled to her, 'Don't even dare say a word about her, Parkinson! I'm not afraid to use my wand on you!'

Pansy recoiled looked at Draco, suddenly feeling quite threatened. After all, her Father wasn't here to help threaten him with his Father's position being at stake, and she wasn't that adept with her wand, even though she had scraped a Pass in her examinations (of course, with a little _help_ from her ever-wealthy, ever-influential Father). She bit her lip, and huffed away.

'How did you even know?' Hermione asked, with a grateful smile.

'Pansy's predictable that way.' Draco smirked, and saw from his side-view that Anna and Will were exchanging approving looks. Draco held up his wand and wiggled it for good measure.

He turned to Anna and Will. 'Should we get a move on?'

'Oh, yes, of course, of course!' Will exclaimed, reaching for the trunks.

'No, allow me,' Draco offered graciously and picked up both their trunks, following Anna and Will, with Hermione by his side; she was carrying Crookshanks and his owl.

Draco was a bit more than apprehensive to get on the black lustrous Land Rover; he had never been on a car. Hermione sensed this.

'It's all right, it's safe.' She opened the boot and patted the car. 'See?'

'I'm not worried if it's safe or not, love, it's just so... big.' Draco finished lamely. Never would he have thought he'd ever be afraid to try anything, not even any Muggle invention. But he was. Right now. Of this gargantuan piece of metal and rubber. Not that he'd admit it to Hermione though.

'Yeah, it's called a Land Rover. Dad likes big cars. And sometimes Ben borrows it as well.' Hermione said, opening the car door, hauling herself up and in. Draco followed her, trying to make his movement look as fluid as hers. Never would he have thought Hermione would be graceful than him either. Come on, did all those lessons of proper etiquette go forgotten?

'Who's Ben?' Draco asked, looking displeased.

'Oh, he works for Dad in the summers. He's about our age, and he's been a patient of Dad's since ever too. He's practically family.' Hermione smiled.

'I see. Does he have perfect teeth like I do? How about you two, are you two close?' Draco probed, leaning into Hermione.

'Silly boy,' Hermione wrapped her arms around Draco, 'He's like a brother to me. Nothing to get your boxers in a bunch about.' She kissed Draco lightly on his lips for reassurance.

'Hey hey, we're still here you know.' Will warned as he adjusted the mirror. Hermione blushed and pulled away reluctantly.

'Right, sorry Dad.' She smiled sheepishly. Draco wrinkled his nose, half annoyed. God, if Draco had done that in front of _his_ Father, he'd simply turn the other way and continue his tea. But then again, Hermione's reaction was adorable. He turned to look at her; her cheeks were bright pink. It was so sweet that she felt embarrassed to be caught by her parents.

_Oh great, did I just find that sweet? Wonderful, next I'll be thinking puppies and ribbons are the cutest things in the world. _

He caught Hermione's eyes. She winked and mouthed 'Later'.

Draco smirked, before relaxing into the leather upholstery of the vehicle. He ran a finger up the car door's side, feeling the texture. He pressed a button and almost jumped when the window slid open a bit._Almost_ jumped. But thank God, the years of practiced controlled emotions held him in check. Instead, he brushed his hair out of his face as the wind blew into the car, acting as if nothing had happened.

'That's the button for the window. If you press it on the other side, the window will close.' Hermione informed him.

'I knew that,' Draco said, slightly miffed. Clearly he was going to have to learn a lot more about these Muggle inventions to prevent looking like a fool in front of Hermione.

'Sure you did,' Hermione exchanged a knowing look with her father from the rear-view mirror.

They were all silent throughout the entire trip, with the occasional question from Anna or Will, but the lovers mostly exchanged looks and subtle hand gestures that Will was bound to not see even from all the mirrors the car he had. Draco started to feel a bit queasy from the many bumps the car was experiencing. _If we pass another bump, I am going to hex someone._

_Bump!_

This time the bump's impact was bigger, so Draco actually bumped his head on the car roof, while the rest stayed rooted in their seats, courtesy of their seat belts. Hermione gave him a smug 'I Told You So' look before laughing into her hands, while Anna smiled apologetically, and Will's face turned red from trying to not laugh. Draco felt his last string of patience snap.

'Is it all right if we make a stop? I need fresh air.' Draco said.

'Oh, but we're reaching already!' Hermione interjected her Father, who promptly closed his mouth and nodded, as she started to bounce uncontrollably. She pointed up ahead, where there were a dozen of attached 3-storey brick European-looking houses. Will drove up to the one nearest to the end and pulled up.

'All right kids, we're home.' He smiled at Hermione from the mirror. Hermione beamed back.

_Home sweet home, it's going to be so perfect!_

A/N: Alrighty, people, first chapter is UP! I hope you'd enjoy this story as much as you had enjoyed the previous!_  
_


	2. Chapter 2: Bex, Ben and Ladders

'All right, Draco, this is your room, make yourself comfortable. Call me if you need anything, all right dears?' Anna pecked Hermione on the cheek before exiting.

Draco tried not to show the amount of shock he had felt when Anna politely told him that he would be having his own room when he asked where was Hermione's room so that he could put down his belongings. He sat on the edge of his bed and fumed silently, not even budging when he felt Hermione's arms snake around his waist and she pressed her warm lips to the cold skin on the side of his neck.

'Come on lovie, it isn't that bad, sleeping apart. We did that in Hogwarts,' she reminded him.

'But that was Hogwarts! Now it's a bloody house! I was thinking we'd be shagging anytime we wanted.' He pouted for good measure.

'Yeah right, Draco, with my parents around, we're allowed to just shag on the kitchen counter while Dad cooks waffles.' Hermione rolled her eyes. She lifted his chin with his finger and stared into his eyes. 'But bonus information,' she leaned in, her hot breath heavy on his ear, 'they sleep early. And heavily.' She got up to leave, and Draco realized with relished pleasure that her jeans were riding low and he got a nice view of her red lacy thong. She cast him a sidelong smirk as she walked off to her room.

For a bookworm, Hermione sure did have her moments.

* * *

'So, Draco, what do you plan to do now?' Will asked as he gestured to Hermione to pass the butter, which she did promptly. 

'I was thinking along the lines of managing.' Draco answered as he took another bite of his pie. 'This tastes really good, Anna.' He added. Anna responded with a warm smile as she gave Hermione a look.

'Managing? How so?' Will asked, suddenly interested.

'You know, publicity for highbrow events and such. People want big audiences; I've got the interested contacts. But then again I've been reading up on inventions. I've always liked to tweak spells and merge them together, and I've invented some simple harmless spells myself.' Draco continued. Hermione's eyebrows raised in surprise as she brought her wine glass to her lips. She hadn't pegged Draco to want to do anything besides enjoy life with liquor and women. No wait, scratch that, Draco was to enjoy life with liquor and _her_.

'That sounds pretty dangerous,' Will remarked.

'I'm pretty much a risk-taker myself. And it's nice to see the spell work.' Draco said, and felt pleased when Will nodded, understanding. 'Enough about me, tell me more about your clinic and everything. Hermione didn't tell me much.' He shot a smile at Hermione, who stuck her tongue out in response.

'Ah, we own a dental clinic—'

'One of the best in town,' Hermione added.

'—And we have many old patients.' Will continued, with a pointed smile at Hermione. 'Some of them have been seeing us for more than twenty years. They've all watched Little 'Mione grow up.' Will added, giving Hermione a special smile. Hermione closed her hand around her Dad's and squeezed it affectionately.

'I'm not that old yet, Dad.' Hermione moaned with fake rancor.

'Ah, why don't I show you some of Hermione's pictures!' Anna exclaimed as she hopped off her chair and scuttled into another room without saying another word.

'Oh no,' Hermione groaned into her hands, 'this is going to be the most embarrassing moment of my life.'

'And probably the best of mine,' Draco replied, with an amused smile.

'Here we are!' Anna reappeared with a box of photo albums and some loose photos. Draco felt his eyebrow rise; if that was _some_ of Hermione's pictures, where was the rest!

'Come on, Draco,' Anna said as she settled on the couch, placing the box on the table, pulling out a worn out photo album. 'Let's see this one first.'

Draco followed his curiosity and walked to her, and was followed by Will and Hermione.

Anna flipped the front cover over, to show Draco Hermione's baby photos. The biggest one was of Hermione's toothless smile, as her grubby finger was holding probably Anna's wedding ring.

Draco's eyes surveyed the other photos; Hermione sleeping, Hermione running around naked in the backyard—he was more than amused at that one, and laughed when Hermione protested that he shouldn't have to see this—with Will in the background, doubling over laughing. Draco had to admit; Hermione was beautiful even as a baby.

Her eyes were as brown as ever, and the ever-growing tuft of hair on her head was as crazy and wild and blond. Her smile made her eyes crinkle and her lips were the fullest you could find on a baby. She really was beautiful as a baby. Besides Draco, of course. She was nothing like what babies usually were; cranky and screwed-face.

'You still have that beautiful smile,' he commented absent-mindedly as he continued to flip through the pages. There were more hilarious candid photos; like Hermione having icing over the cute button nose of hers while her eyes were wide with excitement and her mouth was smiling openly, revealing her growing front tooth.

Hermione smiled to herself; Draco had just openly commented on her in front of her parents. How funny it could be that such a small gesture would lift her spirits so much.

Draco continued on the other book, listening to Anna's excited comments ('Oh, and this was her first time taking ballet lessons!' or 'Visits to Grandma!') while Will offered some funny information on some of those. Hermione had complained about giving too much information. Finally he flipped to the page where there was a butt that was clad in the all-too-familiar rubber duck knickers, sticking out of a ruined wedding cake.

'Oh, so this was how it looked like,' Draco said with obvious restrain from laughing, glancing up at Hermione, who immediately looked horrified.

'I thought we'd burned that photo!' came her cry.

'No such luck, 'Mione! Really, that was so ridiculous it was absurdly funny.' Will laughed as he clapped a hand on her daughter's shoulder. 'Someday perhaps seventy years down the road you shall show your grandchildren this photo to show them what a klutz Gran was in her youth!' he suggested.

'I'll burn those photos when I have the chance!' Hermione retorted, while Anna looked on with obvious affection. Draco suddenly felt like an outsider; he was intruding on their family moment. He felt envious of Hermione; she had the undivided attention and love of her parents whereas he had only half of it. How many times had Will tuck Hermione into bed, or read her a bedtime story? More than the times Lucius had even showed any sign of affection towards Draco, that was for sure. Draco wasn't used to feeling envious, he tried to distract himself with the other photos.

The picture next to it was Hermione, looking much more like herself now, only younger, with icing all over her clothes and cake, as she rubbed her face with a piece of tissue, looking every inch of embarrassed. The third picture showed Hermione and another young girl clad in a gown and a wreath of white roses on her head as the girl licked the icing off Hermione's finger, while Hermione laughed. He looked at the top of the page; there was a photo of Hermione, sans the icing decoration. He loved every bit of her; even her slight buckteeth, from her crazy hair that seemed tamed into a crazy bun, down to her simple white gown, which looked exquisite on her.

He flipped to the next page.

'Ah, Potter and Weasley'd been here?' He inquired, as he fingered the photo of Hermione, Potter and Weasley. Hermione was in between them, and they all had their arms slung over each others' shoulder, and they looked like they'd just been doused with water. Nonetheless, they were definitely laughing when they took the picture.

'Yes, that was my birthday last year. Cousin Marge thought it would be funny to pour water on us.' Hermione laughed. 'God, was it freezing!'

'I notice you don't call them by first names; don't get along well, Draco?' Anna asked, cocking her head to face Draco.

'We never had, and well, when Hermione decided to be with me, Weasley wasn't too happy about it.' Draco summed it up.

'Ah, I see.' Anna nodded. 'Will's best friend never talked to him again after he married me.' She looked up, giving Will a sad look. 'He was one of our best friends.'

'But the thing is, Weasley and I were never friends. Couldn't stand the sight of each other.' Draco interjected, only to receive a sigh from Anna.

'The youth these days...' She chuckled.

'All right, I think that is enough picture-seeing cum embarrassing-Hermione for today.' Hermione took the photo album from her mother's hand and slammed it shut. 'Draco and I have plans today.' She smirked, as she gently placed the album into the box and lifted it, walking towards the room to place it down. Draco's first reflex was to look surprised, but he tugged it back down, keeping his face neutral. Hanging around Hermione was starting to rub off of him; he was starting to express the first emotion he was experiencing, instead of keeping it all under the calm mask. God, that really sucked.

'You do?' Will asked first. Hermione came out of the room, tying her hair into a messy bun as she did so.

'Yes. Of course. You didn't think I would let him spend his first day here lazing around did you! It's time for sightseeing!' Hermione did a little excited dance before pulling Draco up from his seat.

'Ah, so we're going to do the _thing_.' Draco nodded knowingly.

'Yes, the _thing_!' Hermione laughed, catching on. Will's expression mirrored Anna's.

'What_thing_?' They asked together, the worry not being masked enough.

'Oh, you know, just a _thing_!' Hermione's laughed echoed as she pulled Draco towards the winding stairs.

'Remind me what the thing is again?' Draco asked, as they stopped on the last staircase. Hermione's eyes were shining with excitement and her hair was still messy and all over her face, her cheeks still pink. Draco would have kissed her senseless if the parents weren't in the house, because when they started kissing, it usually leads to loud and wild sex. Not the best time to do so. At least not yet.

'What we all do,' Hermione said with a suggestive smile. Draco thought for a moment that it meant renting a hotel room to have sex all night, but he didn't think Hermione would have thought of it. Hermione opened her mouth to say the word Draco thought he'd never hear from the supposed Miss-Goody-Two-Shoe: 'Clubbing.'

She shoved a surprised Draco into his room, slamming the door, but not before yelling, 'And dress appropriately for it!'

He smiled at his own reflection in the mirror. Of course, dress_appropriately_. Even for clubbing.

He conjured his trunk open, and sifted through his clothes. Not really caring, he chose a nice fitting forest green cotton collared button-down, with the black leather trousers he had received from Italy. He knew even with the casual apparel, he was to be the best looking man in the club. Ah, nice to know I'm still an egoistical git, he thought with a smirk as he straightened his starch collar. He decided to slick his hair back with a flick of his wand, knowing how the look impacted on people. He checked his back view once more before walking to the door, only to have it opened by Hermione, who gasped when she saw Draco. Draco, too, gasped, but he did it inwardly.

Hermione had did some sort of taming spell on her hair, apparently, as it fell to her bum, in loops instead of crazy curls. She wore a nice fitting white tank top with a black fishnet top over it, and she had donned on a denim skirt that showed off miles and miles of legs, much to Draco's delight and horror, and she was wearing some killer heels.

'Merlin, those pants should be illegal!' She cried out, as she fingered them gingerly. Her fingers skimmed the pants lightly before rubbing the fabric together under her fingers. 'Italy. They make the best leather pants. I got myself a few when Mom and I went there last year.' Hermione smiled suggestively. 'Should we get a move on?'

'Not before I tell you how short that skirt is.' Draco interjected. After all, he was supposed to be the one and only man to be able to see that much of Hermione's leg. If she was wearing it for role-play, he would have no complaints at all, but they were going to a club now, and it was dark. He didn't like the idea of Hermione being preyed of pleasing.

'Please, Mom,' Hermione scoffed. 'It's only too much by a little bit.' She rolled her eyes before checking her watch. 'Come on, it's time to celebrate coming home by hitting the club.' Without another word, she took Draco's hand and led him downstairs, where Will and Anna were watching them with curiosity and a tinge of apprehension.

'Sweetheart, where exactly are you two heading to?' Anna asked.

'Clubbing, Mom!' Hermione said cheerily as she tossed on her black hoodie zip-up, before linking her arm with Draco's.

'Be back by 1!' Hermione yelled as she closed the door behind them before her parents could object.

'I still think the skirt's too short.' Draco grumbled. He had already spotted 3 men looking at Hermione in _that_ way just 10 minutes into walking. He had to resist every temptation to hex their balls off.

'I'd never thought I'd see the day where Draco Malfoy cares for somebody else but him.' Hermione giggled as she swerved to miss Draco's tickling fingers.

'Of course I'd care for you. Without you I'd be a very, very, bored man.' Draco said and poked her in her sides. She squealed.

'Don't ever touch the spot! It's my tickle-spot.' Hermione pouted as she elbowed Draco, who winced.

'I forgot what strength you had.' Draco muttered as he rubbed his sore spot.

'Well then, that should remind you.' Hermione smirked as she led him into a narrow and long alleyway.

'Where is this club anyway?' Draco asked, miffed that he had to walk in this dirty alley. Ha, if somebody told him half a year a go that he'd be dating Hermione Granger, and following her through a grotty alley, he'd have laughed and maybe hexed the person for cursing him. But now it was all a different story. Draco realized that he was only complaining because he was used to complaining about dirt. Otherwise, he'd follow Hermione anywhere, he'd bet.

'It's a new one. Just now when you were resting I got the information from Bex, she said the club's quite promising. She might be there tonight.' She grinned.

'Bex...' Draco muttered. 'That's the one who stood up for you in your pre-school days?'

'That's the one.' Hermione smiled, probably reminiscing on the memory. 'The way she punched that boy was priceless!'

'Ah, so that's where you got your inspiration.' Draco nodded, rubbing his jaw as if she had just punched him like the scene in Third Year.

'I did that on reflex, all right. You were just being such a bastard.' Hermione stuck her tongue out at him, which he promptly stuck out his as well.

'I didn't like that ball of stupid gray fluff. He pecked at me!' Draco said defensively. Hermione laughed as she took a turn, leading into another narrow alleyway. She stopped at the rusty blue metal door and knocked on it. A girl around Hermione's age opened it. She had strawberry blonde hair but had many different colours in them, and her hair was teased out, and had the palest skin Draco had ever seen. With that hair she looked like a vampire. To up her vampire façade, she had donned on blood red lipstick. She wore a simple black ripped tank top that showed off her toned body and an even shorter skirt than the one Hermione was wearing, but she had layered it. Her buckle boots looked hard.

''Mione!' She squealed as she hugged Hermione, who squealed and hugged her back.

'Bex, this is Draco.' She introduced proudly. Draco extended his hand.

'Nice to meet you.' He said automatically, not forgetting the manners that were etched in his brain by Narcissa.

'My, my, Hermione's got herself a looker!' Bex teased as she shook his hand. She then said to Draco. 'Name's Becca, but they all call me Bex. I shall be your DJ for tonight and you two are going to be dancing to the music I provide and drink the drinks Rick provides. Follow me.' She gave a mock bow as she walked into the dark club that was only lighted by flashing lights of different colours. Draco surveyed his surroundings.

There were tiny cubicles where small groups of people sat, and there was a tealight on every table, which provided the much needed light. On the dance floor there was already a massive crowd of people and the light reflected off of them. There was a DJ booth the far right, which was currently empty. The long bar table dominated the entire left of the room, and the frosted glass shelves were glowing blue from the lights inside them. Bartenders were expertly mixing the drinks to thirsty dancers. Then the light suddenly turned orange. Apparently the colours were to change every few second. The ceiling was very tall and black streamers were decorating it. Suddenly Draco didn't feel so angry that he had to squeeze through an alley to get to this.

'Come on, let's dance!' Hermione yelled over the music as she led Draco to the dance floor. The music promptly stopped and Bex's voice echoed through the humongous club.

'Hello you dazzling crowd! Sorry for abandoning my station for a bitsy while, had to get my favourite girl! But now Bexy's here to make you all happy again, how about that!' The crowd cheered as Bex slipped on her first tune.

'Guess Bex is really famous here eh!' Hermione yelled. Draco nodded and pulled her closer to him, drawing some envious glances from the men and women around. The way they moved was so synced, it looked like it was choreographed. Every body wave Hermione did to press herself against Draco, Draco would respond by snaking around her. They both had to admit; they were pretty good dancers.

They were definitely sweaty and tired when they rested in the empty cubicle, taking huge gulps of the iced water that was complimentary. Hermione was looking on at Bex in admiration.

'She's really improved over the years. Every summer when I come back I'll hear her play. She's really come a long way.' Hermione sighed.

'Why the sigh?' Draco inquired, before gulping down the last bit of his water.

'Because she knows what she wants to do in life. I have no bloody clue.' Hermione finished miserably.

'You will, soon enough, because you always do.' Draco said, with an encouraging squeeze of her hand. 'On the other hand, we didn't come here to sigh about the future. Unless you'd want to give Trelawney a run for her money?' He hopped off his seat and extended a hand. 'Madame?' Hermione giggled as she took his hand and led him to the dance floor, where it was even more packed then before.

Hermione pressed her body fully against Draco's, before snaking up and down, making sure there was no gap between them, and they never broke contact. She turned around and did the same thing, only this time lingering at places that were too inappropriate for public places for a longer time than needed. Not that Draco was complaining, though. He nuzzled her neck, loving the way her breath caught in her throat. Her hand caressed his hand lightly, and even through the thin cotton, he felt her fingers set its path ablaze. Hermione had lit the fire in him all right; and all he wanted to do was light hers as well.

'Let's say we get to somewhere else more private, and we carry on?' Draco asked, nibbling on her earlobe now.

'Uh...Private... Sure.' Hermione mumbled incoherently, distracted by the presence of Draco's hot searing mouth on her sensitive spot under her ear. She vaguely felt herself being gently led away from the dance floor, never taking her eyes off the blond before her before coming to an abrupt stop. She almost bumped into Draco.

'Hermione!' Her eyes grew wide as she took in the entire 1.8m frame in front of her. Did Ben grow _that_ much since she's seen him? He still had his brown hair but he had opted for a shorter crop, and his green and blue eyes were still sparkling, except that they had a shimmer of concern in them.

'Ben!' Hermione cried out and stood rooted to the spot, wondering how to react. What does one exactly say when she's been caught with her boyfriend by her bosom friend in a dance club? Right, call out their name too.

'Draco.' Draco said dryly. Ben proceeded to wrench Hermione out of Draco's grasp and pulled her closely to his side, gaining a death-glare from Draco.

'Leave her alone.' Ben said menacingly.

'Excuse me?' Draco asked indignantly. Great, how many of these little boyfriends who would tell him to leave her alone did Hermione exactly have?

'I know what you did, you codge. Drug her then try to rape her.' Ben growled, his face tense, before his features twisted into a contortion of confusion as Hermione and Draco both erupted into fits of laughter. Draco's one was mocking whereas Hermione's was downright surprised and humored.

'You—You think Draco was trying to rape me?' Hermione asked between hiccups from laughing too much.

'Wait, you know this guy?' Ben asked, confused.

'That is my girlfriend you just accused me of raping.' Draco informed him, extending his hand to get Hermione to his side, and he pulled her in protectively.

'Y—your_girlfriend_?' Ben spluttered, shocked. He hurriedly masked it with a heated glare at Draco, who stared back innocently.

'I was meaning to swing by tomorrow to introduce you both but I reckon it's not needed now?' Hermione guessed weakly. She's always known that things between Ben and her would never be the same after their awkward exchange before she had left last summer and she had thought that breaking the news about Draco gently to him would be a better option but it seemed that the option had only just flown out of the window. Draco looked ready to _Avada_ Ben and Ben seemed both humiliated and angry at the same time.

'You bloody well know it's not needed anymore, Hermione.' Ben said and pushed past the two of them, storming away.

'Sorry love, be right back.' Hermione shot Draco an apologetic look before rushing after him.

'Ben!' She called after him, but he didn't turn back. She followed him, trying not to lose sight of him in the sea of humans. She reached the backdoor and glanced around, looking for him but he was nowhere to be found. _Damn, I just botched up my life-long friendship just on the first day of coming back!_

'Hermione.' Ben's voice was so quiet that Hermione might have thought she was imagining it when she jumped around to face him.

'Ben,' she breathed. 'Look, what happened back there, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean for you to find out this way... I was thinking of asking you out to coffee alone to tell you but I only just arrived—'

'Hermione, what was the last thing I told you before you left for boarding school?' Ben asked quietly. Hermione groaned inwardly. She was hoping he wouldn't bring up that awkward incident between them.

'To take care?' she asked meekly, suddenly taking a great interest in her shoes.

'I told you I loved you, but you told me that you had somebody else in mind. And I always thought that it was that redhead you brought back home from boarding school. But who is this guy? Is he the one you supposedly hate? Draco, isn't it? Hermione, I never pegged you as the type to sleep around with the enemy. Is that what they teach you in boarding school?' Ben's voice had a menacing sneer to it, and Hermione felt her face get hot. _How dare he hint that she's a slut! _Any pity or guilt she felt earlier was just squished by her patent leather five-inch peep-toes.

'I'll have you know that I topped my level in boarding school, and yes, when I told you that, I did think it was Ron but in this past few months I realized that I had made a huge mistake. Draco is not my worst enemy, like I thought. We just cleared up years of misunderstanding. And if you can't be supportive of me and choose to hurt me with vindictive words instead, I suggest you go grow up before coming back to ever talking to me.' She said in a rush of anger. Sometimes Ben really reminded her of Ron. They jumped to the first conclusion they made and it was hard to change their mind about it. She'd bet if Ben were in Hogwarts he'd have been sorted into Gryffindor. 'I was hoping that we'd remain friends after that awkward incident but since you have chosen otherwise, I shall not stop you.' Hermione stood at her full height and stared at Ben directly into his eyes. He didn't falter.

'Fine.' He finally said.

'Fine.' She echoed and they both turned opposite ways, storming off; Hermione back to Draco, while Ben stormed out of the door and slammed it with a loud echoing bang.

'Everything all right?' Draco asked as he sipped his drink. He had to admit, this could be on par with a Firewhisky.

'No, not at all.' Hermione muttered as she sank gloomily onto his lap. The bartender shot her a sidelong glance as he cleaned his glass. Draco shot him a glare that made him look the other way.

'It's his—' Draco started saying before remembered what had happened the last time he had uttered the phrase. 'I mean, do you want to go back home instead?' he asked.

'Actually, I'd like to go somewhere else.' Hermione said. Draco raised his eyebrows, but nodded anyway. She hated arguing with anyone. She didn't understand how some people could get such a kick out of it. The aftermath of it was downright horrible.

Draco followed Hermione out of the narrow alley, before walking through the winding street, onto the road of nearly identical houses. In the dim light they all looked practically the same. Draco gave up trying to mark his location after a while. Hermione led him to an abandoned factory, before climbing up the metal stairs on the side of the building. She then climbed up the ladder, which lead to an isolated and the highest part of the building, where it was bare and there was a wide view of the town. Draco was the first to sit down, and Hermione lowered herself beside him.

'Ben and I found this place. I think he's long forgotten it, but everytime I'm upset I come here.' Hermione said in a tiny voice. For once, Draco didn't know how to respond to it, so he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and squeezed it. 'Last summer, before I left, he told me some... things, and I rejected him, because I thought I had Ron. Then came you, and now he thinks I'm a horrible slut who fraternizes with the enemy because I told him all sorts of horrible things about you.' It all came out in such a rush; Hermione couldn't stop the tears that followed either.

Draco tried to sooth her by rubbing her arm every once in a while and making soothing noises but she continued to sob quietly on his shoulder.

'On the day that I come back, I screw up one of my longest and treasured friendship I've had.' Hermione reprimanded herself. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid.'

'I hope you're scolding Ben that, because he obviously is.' Draco warned. 'Look, let him think what he wants to think; if he really can think that about you, it only goes to show what an insufferable git he is. Do you want a friend who can readily think that bad of you?'

Hermione didn't reply, but she continued to sob lightly, muffled by Draco's shoulder. He leaned his head on hers, and they stayed like this until Draco lost track of the time. Hermione had stopped shivering now, in fact, she remained motionless. Draco rubbed her arm, before realizing her teeth were chattering. Then it occurred to Draco; Hermione was most probably frozen to death already. He didn't realize how the temperature had plummeted.

'Hermione, love, its time to go home.' He said, rubbing her arm vigorously in attempts to wake her. Hermione didn't respond, and Draco watched on as she continued to sleep. Suddenly she shivered and Draco snapped out of it. 'Come on, I'll bring you back.' Draco said and held onto her for dear life. He wasn't sure if Side-Long Apparition would work if the passenger was asleep. He hoped that he wouldn't Splinch Hermione or something. That would _so_ impress her parents; Draco coming up the doorstep and holding up a leg with white patent leather five inch peep toes: 'I brought back Hermione.'

He closed his eyes and imagined the house, or more specifically, his bedroom. Then he felt the familiar unpleasant sensation of him being pulled through a tube and when he opened his eyes, he found himself back in the room. He hurriedly glanced over at Hermione but was relieved to see her in one piece. He was also amused to see that she hadn't awoken. Merlin, he wouldn't be surprised if she could sleep through a stampede of centaurs. He carried her up and brought her to her bedroom and set her down gently on her bed, before removing her shoes and replacing her clothes with a more comfortable night gown. He turned to leave when a small cold hand grabbed his wrist. He turned in surprise to see that Hermione had awoken, at least for the moment. She watched him through her heavy-lidded eyes. 'Don't go.'

Draco stood for a moment, before peeling off his shirt and trousers and climbing in. He was shocked at how cold Hermione's body was, even through the silky texture of the gown he could feel it. He wrapped his arms around her the same time she did around his waist. He kissed the top of her head.

'Good night, Hermione.'


	3. Chapter 3: Shower Before Church

_Mmm_, Hermione mused at her dream; Draco bathing in chocolate. Yummy. In fact, she could feel him right beside her now in the bed with his strong arms still wrapped around her and his breathing was light on her neck. She could dimly make out the sunlight that was pouring into her room, but was more distracted from the wonderful dream she was having. _Draco licking off the chocolate..._ When she woke up, they were _definitely_ going to try that. If only she could get rid of the stupid background screaming. God, weren't dreams like these suppose to be perfect? Without the bad background noises? Oh wait, that scream wasn't from the dream; it was her Mom. _Oh_.

'Will!' Anna screamed. 'Get here! Now!'

Both Draco and Hermione sprung up suddenly, before noticing Anna in the room, holding a tray of what seemed like toast and orange juice. It wasn't before long till Will ran into the room, looking just as flustered as they felt. Draco did the first thing he could in reflex; conjure up two silk robes for both him and Hermione. And for her credit, he made them a dark maroon.

'Christ!' Will cried out, before dragging Draco out of the bed, yelling at him, 'If you did anything to Hermione, God help me I will pummel you!'

'Dad!' Hermione sprang out of bed, holding her Father's shoulders, trying to calm him down while Anna just stood there, rooted to the spot. 'Draco and I didn't do anything! We just fell asleep!'

'Fell asleep... Fell asleep my arse! Then why are you both only in your underwear!' Will asked, face going red from the stress that was being placed on his heart.

'It truly was nothing dirty, Dad! This is a nightgown, it's what people sleep in.' Hermione protested.

Draco could see that protesting wouldn't work, but apparently Hermione couldn't. He bit his tongue, wondering if he should step in or not. Glancing at Hermione's face, which was close to tears, and at Will's, which was red and looking furious. The answer hit him like how a big fat YES should hit.

'Will, Hermione wasn't feeling so well when we got back home, which was why I _Apparated_ us back, and I was worried that she would throw up or something, so I stayed by her side, but apparently I fell asleep.' Draco said in such a firm but quiet voice, that Will stopped yelling and looked at him.

'Then why were you in your underwear!' Will thundered.

'I can't really remember, really, but we both had a drop too much.' Draco explained, keeping his cool demeanor. 'I assure you, nothing happened besides the fact that we were sleeping.'

It was true, sort of; they hadn't had sex since they got back. Yet.

Will seemed to consider everything, but Draco could see the colour fading off his face, and instantly relaxed. The tension in the room eased up too, visibly.

'All right, I suppose we over-reacted.' Will admitted, letting go of Draco slowly. Draco winced at the realization of how strong Will's grasp was. Apparently Hermione took after her Father in terms of strength. 'Just that, you know, seeing my daughter's boyfriend in bed with her isn't how I usually find my daughter on a Sunday morning, you know.' He chuckled nervously.

'Sorry, Dad, it won't happen again.' Hermione said solemnly, looking down at her feet. Draco had to suppress a laugh; Hermione really was embarrassed for being caught by her Mother, and all they were doing was sleeping with _clothes_ on. Imagine if they had caught them in the raw! Draco had to keep his face neutral, as he was aware of Anna's eyes on him.

'Draco?' Will inquired.

'It is a one-time affair.' Draco nodded. Will clasped his hands together and walked towards the door.

'Come, Anna, let the children clean up after themselves.' Will said.

'Don't forget, Hermione, church is at 12.' Anna reminded them, before giving Draco a shaky smile, and following her husband, after putting down the tray of breakfast on her bed.

'Come on,' Draco brightened up immediately after Anna closed the door, tucking himself into Hermione's comforter and pulled the tray onto his lap, patting the space beside him. Hermione just stared at him incredulously.

'What?' He asked.

'My Dad almost burst an artery and you expect me to believe that 'Hermione was sick' business? I demand an explanation, Draco.' Hermione demanded, her lower lip pouting as she folded her arms over her gargantuan chest.

'All right,' Draco nodded, 'Fair's fair, after I explain; you are going to drag your beautiful bum here and eat breakfast with me. Deal?'

Hermione's stance didn't change, but her face broke into a smile, which she failed miserably at trying to stop from spreading. She covered her face as she groaned, while Draco smiled in glee.

'Ugh, why is always so that I can't stay angry with you!' she laughed, as she crawled into bed with him, snuggling comfortably against him as he draped an arm over her shoulder.

'Because I am that loveable,' Draco replied as he shoved a grape into her laughing mouth. She stuck her tongue out at him as she chewed.

'I still want the explanation, Draco.' Hermione reminded as she swallowed another grape. 'I have absolutely no recollection of coming home.'

'I'm a wizard, Hermione.' Draco explained dryly. Hermione poked him in the side.

'I know that, Draco. Which explains?'

'I_ Apparated_ us back, because you were frozen cold and wouldn't awake.' Draco explained casually as he took a sip of the orange juice. Hermione's eyes widened with disbelief.

'You_ Apparated_ us back, when I was asleep?' She almost cried out. She smacked him on the arm, causing him to almost spill the juice, which he promptly put back on the tray, and he lifted the tray to put it on the floor.

'What?' He asked indignantly.

'You could have _Splinched_ me!' she cried out as she tried to smack him again, but her wrists were caught in Draco's firm grasp.

'I bloody well couldn't throw you down the building ladder, could I? I was tipsy, and I wasn't sure if I could carry you down while climbing the ladder.' Draco said, before releasing her hands.

'Tipsy! You aren't supposed to do _any_ Apparition of any sort if you are under the influence of alcohol!' Hermione cried out, 'you could have _Splinched_ us both!' she started to check Draco's body.

'What are you doing?' Draco asked, although he was quite certain he didn't want her to stop. 'If you keep doing this I might just have to shag you, and imagine what Will would say if he walked in on us, eh?'

'In your dreams.' Hermione laughed, as she coyly dropped her hand to under the waistband of his silky bray boxers, toying with his manhood. 'Ah, still there.' She smiled innocently, pretending to be oblivious to the fact that Draco's body was responding. 'Last time Ron Splinched his eyebrow, did you know? Have to make sure that all vital body parts are—'

Draco's mouth caught hers, cutting off any source of oxygen that she could use to talk even more. She was surprised, but started to respond in just a matter of seconds, as she used her free hand to get tangled in his blond hair, which defied all laws of physics and laid perfectly straight and tangle-free from sleeping, while Hermione's was sticking out from every angle, as she started to stroke his member, which was becoming taut by the second. Her strokes turned into firm pumps as she turned him over to straddle him, kissing him with more demand and lust than ever, while her firm pumps matched every brutal tease she made with her tongue, or every time her tongue flicked across his tongue. Draco reached into under her nightgown and made an interesting discovery. Hermione paused for a moment, and revealed a lacy red thong from under the blanket.

'Magic really is a wonderful thing,' she quipped, before dropping the lingerie and returning to the task beforehand. Draco placed his fingers at her opening, delighted to find that she was just as wet as he was. He shuffled to sit up to get better access and slid the first finger into her, hearing her gasp as she momentarily stopped her pumping. Draco increased his tempo as if to remind her about his member, and she immediately starting to pump as well, toying with his testicles as well. The faster she pumped, the faster Draco drove his finger in, and slowly, he added another and another. It was a competition, that both of them would gain from. Draco drove his fingers in and made a circular motion with them, gaining another soft moan from her as she bit his lip.

Their arms were still brushing; Hermione's hand was in his boxers, while his was under her nightgown, their free hands were tangled up in each other's hair, and she was kneeling between his legs, giving his fingers much better access. Occasionally their eyes flicked open, surprisingly at the same time, and they stared into each other's eyes while their lips and hands brutally assaulted each other's. It was so quiet, and the only sounds you could hear were their ragged breaths or their moaning of each other's name.

Hermione felt her peak coming on soon, but tried to hold it off, wanting to time it perfectly with his. When Draco felt her opening tighten around his fingers, he knew it was only a matter of seconds before she came. _All the better_, and he gave the signal that he was ready to come by tugging at her lower lip lightly. Hermione kissed him gently as they both came together, cries muffled by each other's shoulder. Hermione's body shuddered along with Draco's; as their orgasm seemed to never end. Finally, her body tensed for the final moment before going limp. Draco's breath was as labored as hers. She kissed the part of his chest that the robe had fallen away from, leaving it bare. They stayed like this; her lying atop of Draco until their breathing and blood pressure slowly got back to a normal pace.

'Come on, time for to get ready for church.' Hermione murmured, as she pushed herself up, although somewhat reluctantly.

'Can't you skip a day or something?' Draco groaned.

'Mom wouldn't hear of it. Even at my sickest she'd drag me out of bed on a Sunday to church.' Hermione reminded him as she walked to her wardrobe and threw the doors open.

'But isn't it weird? You're Christian and yet you dabble in magic; doesn't it go against your rights or something?' Draco asked, as he toyed with a piece of toast that had already gone too cold for his likes of congesting. Hermione mumbled something about 'not knowing it before'. Draco sent a spell that he had come up on his own towards Hermione's bum; it was to have a tingling sensation. Hermione immediately sprung up.

'Draco!' she cried out, turning around, looking like she didn't know if to laugh or to cry.

'Hermione!' Draco said, imitating her pitch so well that even Hermione giggled.

'Come on, if we have to go to church, I might as well see you get dressed.' Draco wiggled his eyebrows. Hermione laughed at that. She walked to his trunk and fished out a black-sleeved collared shirt and threw them on the floor, which he seemed obviously disdained at the fact.

'Do not throw my clothes around!' he yelled. 'They cost more than your entire wardrobe, might I warn you?' he stuck his tongue out and lifted the blanket to see her thong still there and his attention was suddenly seized by the red material under it, and the scene made Hermione laugh even more. He was an egoistical git, all right, but he made her laugh with his antics.

'Just half a year ago should I yell at you, you'd be spewing insults right back until you were blue in the face.' Draco noted, as he stretched the thong.

'Yeah, but would you even let a Mudblood touch your clothes for that matter?' she asked, picking up a dark green robe from his trunk, before dropping it with a wrinkle of her nose. 'Don't you ever buy something that's not green or black?'

'Yes, gray, and stop manhandling my clothes; they're going to get all wrinkled.' Draco whined, as he fingered the sticky substance that still stuck to him, and it was becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

'That's what we have an iron for, Draco,' Hermione pointed out dryly as she continued to ransack his trunk, pulling out every item of clothing he had and laying it on her floor.

'You expect me to... _iron_ my clothes?' He asked in obvious disbelief. How dare Hermione even suggest that he do..._ chores_!

'Well, it's not like we have a house elf do we? And Mom's certainly busy enough on the weekdays with the clinic and all. Don't worry Draco, the manual comes with _pictures_.' Hermione gave a smug grin as she turned back to the task beforehand, which was continuing to dig through Draco's trunk of clothes. 'Goodness, exactly how many clothes have you got in here?' she asked, but her voice was muffled as she dug deeper into the trunk. She held up a tiny vial gingerly. 'And what is _this_?'

'If you must ask, I'll have to kill you,' Draco replied with a smirk. Then he frowned as Hermione continued to throw out clothes that she could find in the trunk. 'Can you stop throwing out all my clothes?'

'As soon as I get them all out. Goodness, how do you fit so many into on bit of a trunk?' Hermione asked.

'I'm a wizard, Hermione,' Draco explained with the same tone as he had used just now. 'And what the hell are you doing that for anyway?' He asked, but he cackled evilly as Hermione gave another squeal when he sent a mild Stinging Hex to her bum.

'To find clothes suitable for church.' Hermione growled, as she stood up with her hands akimbo and her hair messed up than ever. 'All right, I've emptied about all your clothes,' she gestured to the huge pile of gray, black and dark green on her carpet, 'but none of them are suitable for church, so therefore, we shall just have to make do. She sifted through the pile, before giving up. 'God, do you ever just wear a polo shirt?'

'No,' Draco replied, lifting her thong to inspect the lace detail better.

'Well then,' Hermione waved her wand as she cast a silent spell and his shirt immediately changed its material and its sleeves shortened drastically.

'God!' Draco cried out as he snatched the shirt away and fingered it gingerly. 'You know, I'd rather you change it to some hideous yellow than this hideous, plebian... thing!'

'That can be arranged...' Hermione lifted her wand and pointed it at the shirt, but Draco stopped her with horror.

'No! This is horrible enough.' Draco groaned as he held it up to see it better. 'Am I really supposed to wear this? It's so... casual.'

'Casual enough for church. And the color is fine if it's a polo shirt. But after church, we are going shopping.' Hermione decided.

'Malfoys don't do _casual__ Friday_. Never.' Draco pouted.

'Deal with it, Malfoy,' Hermione stuck her tongue out at him and gathered her clothes and skipped out of the room to the toilet.

'Hermione!' He yelled after her, but she was gone with a whiff of strawberries and some other odd smell. Most probably the outcome of not_ Scourgifying_ their clothing after their morning orgasm. _Remind me to make it a daily basis, _Draco thought to himself as he arched his back, _it's so... refreshing_.

He fingered the thong, then the shirt Hermione had sadly modified for him, and an idea struck him. He cast a spell to shut the door and to lock it, before slipping out of the robe and boxers, disappearing into a _pop_.

Hermione was massaging some of the strawberry shampoo into her hair when a loud _crack_ echoed through the washroom as the naked figure of Draco suddenly appeared beside her. Her breath caught.

'Draco!' She cried out. He covered his mouth with his hand and cast a Silencing charm on the place, before turning to Hermione with an evil grin.

'What are you doing here?' She asked, as he eyed her wet body from top to toe, a glint appearing in his eyes.

'Whatever you are doing. My my, I like you naked, but naked and wet is such a better combination.' He nodded approvingly, as he took over her duty and slipped his fingers into her hair, beginning to massage her head skillfully.

'Or chocolate,' she added nonchalantly as her expression took on a different plane; a relaxed one, as Draco's fingered skimmed her scalp, but she suddenly snapped out of it. 'You can't just _Apparate _into here with no apparent reason! If my Dad finds out, we'll be toast!' Hermione persisted, but Draco could see that she was giving in to his fingers already.

'That, I seriously doubt, and really, all I wanted to do was give my girlfriend a little massage before we head on to church; is that so bad?' Draco asked, as he exerted a little more force. He could practically hear Hermione moan with pleasure already.

'I guess so...' Hermione mumbled as she relaxed against Draco, and her petite body pressing against his stirred a little more than lust within him.

'If you keep leaning on me like that, I don't think we'll make it in time for church.' Draco warned. Hermione proceeded to press herself fully against him, making sure to grind her bum into his nest of curls, before stepping away, under the shower, washing every bit of shampoo off her hair and pressed a generous amount of bath gel onto her fingertips as she started to massage her body, aware of Draco's gray eyes watching her every move. She made sure to prolong her caress on her legs, and it felt funny to be touching herself, but Draco's facial, and his body's, response was absolutely priceless.

Draco felt his mouth go dry at the sight of Hermione brushing her fingers along her collarbone, and he felt entranced by the way her fingers skimmed her skin, before her palm massaged the gel into her skin. He sniffed, _strawberry_. Explains her scent. Then suddenly, she went under the shower again, washing every bit of it away. She then stepped out of the shower, much to Draco's protest, purposely brushing past Draco in just the lightest touch; how could she leave him alone _now_, when she's got him all up and ready? She wrapped herself in a towel, threw him a saucy look before grabbing her wand, disappearing with a loud _pop! _

A/N: Sorry this took so long! I've been a bit depressed lately._  
_


	4. Chapter 4: Lots and Lots of Love

'Hermione, dear!' Hermione whirled around to give another lady yet _another_ a hug, while Draco had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes.

'Mrs. Bennett!' Hermione gave her a smile as the older lady hugged Hermione, before pulling away and eyeing her.

'My, little Hermione's not so little anymore!' Mrs. Bennett said. Draco was standing beside Hermione, and he was doing an excellent job of looking interested, something he had to thank his Father for, when the truth was he was bored out of his brains. _If I have to hear one more 'Oh, Hermione, you've grown!' I swear I'm going to hex someone. Oh wait, you can't swear in a church, sorry, dear Lord. _He rolled his eyes.

'And she's got herself a young man too!' Mrs. Bennett turned her attention to Draco, who immediately straightened at the mention of his name, and she eyed him up too. She grasped his hand, not even waiting for him to extend it and shook it. Draco winced a bit through the smile he knew could charm anyone and flexed his fingers behind his back when she released it. _Does everyone in this bloody town take a strength pill every morning, or is it just me?_

'Nice to meet you, Mrs. Bennett.' Came his instant reply. Everyone was complimenting Hermione on her latest beau, and Draco figured all he had to do was give them his most charming smile and muttering a few pleasantries would get them off his back.

'Please, call me Marge!' she laughed, waving her hands about. She held Draco by the shoulders. 'Nice looking too, Hermione.' She commented, giving Hermione a coy smile. Hermione blushed.

'He's already egoistical enough, Mrs. Bennett; no need to inflate his ego anymore.' Hermione reminded her, sticking her tongue out when Draco scowled at her.

'Oh, adorable! Young love, really!' Mrs. Bennett laughed, and grabbed both of Draco's hands with both of her frail looking ones. 'Better take good care of Hermione, or I suppose Will will be after you, if you didn't. And best make sure she doesn't get snapped up by Ben!' She laughed, before looking at her watch. 'Oh, I must be going. Do drop by for tea soon, Hermione! And... Draco, was it? Yes, well, ta!' And she walked away. Or maybe sashayed. Draco cocked his head to the side. _How was it that an old woman could still be so... energetic? Grandmother's as sullen as a bat while Marge's like a ball of sun._

'I thought you said this was church,' Draco bent down to mutter into Hermione's ear, 'and not the Meet-Hermione-And-Draco party.' He didn't care if he sounded like a whiny 5-year old. He had to complain about it to _somebody_ or he'd go mad. He suddenly missed Blaise; his mate would know what to do to liven up this boring fest, but Blaise would most probably be with Potter, doing God knows what. He shuddered, trying to force the graphic image down.

'Yes, but well, you know what it's like, don't you! They're practically family; they've all watched me grow up. It's natural that they want to see what boy Hermione has brought back.' Hermione giggled as Draco held her waist, making the both of them face each other.

'Yeah, that's me, Hermione Granger's latest boy-toy,' Draco said, before leaning his lips over hers.

'Ahem!' The two of them broke apart and looked up to see... Ben. Draco shot Ben a look of murder whereas Hermione wasn't sure what to do. She bit her lip and looked at her feet.

'It's a _church_. Have some decency, beaver.' Ben laughed, as he extended his hand to Draco. 'I believe we got off on a wrong-foot last night.'

Draco looked at Ben, to his hand, and back to Ben again, trying to decipher any hint of insincerity. Wasn't this boy just accusing Draco of attempting to rape Hermione just last night? And now here he was, extending his hand wanting to make _peace_ so easily? Draco mentally frowned, something was up, but he just didn't know what.

Hermione looked at Draco nervously, then to Ben, who looked confused, and back to Draco. It was hard to see what he was thinking under that carefully arranged mask of features to look bored yet alert at the same time. His eyes were still fixed on Ben's. _Come on_, she urged silently, _just take the hand already!_

'I suppose.' Draco finally said, before taking Ben's hand and gave it a firm shake. Hermione could have sworn she saw Ben flex his fingers behind his back. Trust Draco to try botch up this making-up moment.

'Yes, well, it's time to start over, then.' Hermione jumped a bit, so she was in the middle. 'Draco, met Ben. Ben, meet Draco.' She gave a little curtsy as she took a step back to Draco's side.

'Hi Draco, I'm Ben.' Ben said with exaggerated enthusiasm, mocking Hermione. Hermione laughed and gave him a light punch. Draco raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything more.

'Yes, well, er, Ben, how's Anna?' Hermione asked, trying her best to glide over this obviously awkward moment.

'Fine, she's been sick on and off this month; the doctor gave her multiple jabs already, but she doesn't seem to be getting better.' Ben looked at his feet. 'Hopefully she'll get better soon.'

'Anna's your girlfriend?' Draco inquired.

'No, she's my dog.' Ben replied, laughing as if Draco had pranced around him with a pink tutu. Draco scowled, how could he feel for such creatures? They slobber over everything and are forever leaving a trail of destruction behind them.

'You should see her, Draco, she's beautiful.' Hermione urged, 'I've known her since Ben brought her back from the shelter.'

'Lovely.' Draco said, but his tone and expression said otherwise. Draco knew both Hermione and Ben were trying their best to make this making-up solution work, but Draco wasn't cooperating, purposely. He doesn't just make-up with the person who tried to accuse him of raping his own woman; he _was _a Slytherin, after all. They aren't known for being jerks for nothing.

'Ah, Hermione, there are some scones being sold down the street, would you like some? I know you love them.' Ben said.

'Yes, that sounds lovely.' Hermione smiled as Ben walked out of the church. Then she realized what Draco said was right; today's church session seemed more of a gathering. Even Father John was talking to the other churchgoers, and not doing his regular sermons. She then remembered the task beforehand and dragged Draco to a corner.

'Draco, what's the matter with you?' She asked the moment she made sure they were hidden from most of the public view.

'Whatever am I doing wrong, Hermione?' he asked innocently.

'Don't give me that. Ben was clearly trying to make amends for last night, but you aren't even playing along.' Hermione reprimanded.

'Maybe because I know he has a motive.' Draco offered. 'Hermione, people don't just _make amends_ out of the blue; they always have a reason. And it's pretty obvious he does too.'

'Stop being so cynical! Ben's a great guy, I've known him for the longest time, and I know what he's like.' Hermione protested.

'You know, for some reason he reminds me of Weasley; they always _do,_ before thinking,' Draco paused, before adding, 'Actually I wonder if Weasley is capable of thinking.'

'That's not the point, Draco.' Hermione insisted. 'The point is, that you should give Ben another chance.' She paused. 'And Ron does have his intelligent moments.'

'If he's like Weasley the chances of us getting along is close to zero.' Draco reminded her, causing her to bite her lip in annoyance. She inhaled slowly, obviously trying to restrain herself from yelling. That would only work with Harry and Ron. With Draco it was _always_ a different tactic. Draco watched her with an amused expression. She wrapped her arms around his waist, before pulling him closer.

'Draco, darling,' her tone taking a softer side, 'if you'd just be civil towards Ben, I'll reward you with lots,' a kiss on the forehead, 'and lots,' a kiss on the cheek, 'of love.' A kiss on the throat. She looked up to find that Draco's eyes were mercury now, and not the hard glinting silver they were just a few moments ago. He seemed to be lost in his fantasies; his lips were pursed and he seemed to be thinking over his end of the bargain.

'Just for this church session.' Draco said. Hermione wanted to let him go and huff away in annoyance, but she knew he wouldn't mind; at least not now, in fact, he seemed to like being the jerk she knew in their earlier years of schooling.

'All right, just for this church session.' Hermione acquiesced in his bargain, before giving him the faintest brush of her lips on his lips. She ached to deepen it but she knew that it was bound to be soon that somebody saw them. She released him gently, albeit reluctantly and took his hand. 'Come on, we still have half of the church goers to meet.' She laughed at the horrified expression that took over Draco's face.

'Hermione! There you are!' Hermione whirled around and gave a squeal of delight. She let go off Draco and ran towards this much older woman, who was dressed in a modest collared-up ruffles shirt and black pencil-line skirt. Draco guessed she was about 70 odd years old, and watched in amusement as Hermione gave her an affectionate hug, although she had to stoop down to do so, and then she gave a little twirl to let the woman see her.

'Draco!' Hermione suddenly remembered, beckoning for Draco to come. Draco had to bite his tongue from laughing; Hermione looked just as excited as she had looked when she had just come home, it was almost comical. He walked over to Hermione and companion in his confident stride and met the woman with the extension of a hand.

'Nice to meet you, Mrs...?'

'Sod all of it, call me Lily.' She said, shaking Draco's hand.

Draco couldn't put his finger on it, but the woman seemed to exude some sort of haughty confidence even in her voice. This was unusual for women her age, when most of them usually stayed at home and had Bingo Friday nights, and he hadn't even seen it on his _own_ grandmother, who was about her age. His grandmother was scary, no doubt to it, but she had a more subtle feel; her voice was no more than a whisper but it was enough to make Draco behave well around her, and her movements were delicate and yet firm. Lily's was bold and outright, despite her choice of subdued dressing, and her voice definitely confirmed it.

'Nice to meet you, Lily. I'm Draco Malfoy.' Draco said, giving Hermione the subtlest gesture for her to introduce him to the woman she'd left him in a dash of run for.

'Ah, I'm Hermione's Grandmother. I'll bet my charming granddaughter didn't tell you about me yet.' Lily shot a look at Hermione, who instantly flushed.

'I didn't know you were coming, Gran! If you did I would have told Draco all about you! It's still so great to see you, nonetheless.' She gave another squeal of excitement as she gave her Grandmother another hug.

'She tends to get a bit... excited.' Lily told Draco with an apologetic smile over Hermione's shoulder.

'I know how she gets.' Draco nodded in agreement, an apprising smile appearing on his lips before he could acknowledge it.

'That's Hermione for you.' Lily finished with a laugh, patting Hermione on the cheek. 'Now, Hermione, tell me where can I get a bottle of sherry, perhaps? My flight attendant thought it was 'inappropriate' for a woman of 'my age' to be drinking anything with an alcohol content. I talked to the captain as well, but he thought the same. Sad people, really. Now, where's the sherry?' She clapped her hands together, looking around hopefully, as if a bottle of sherry would appear out of nowhere.

'Flight?' Draco asked, his eyebrow raised.

'Gran lives in New York,' Hermione explained, giving her Grandmother a pointed look. 'She refused to move back to London even after Grandfather passed away.'

'George and I met in New York, and since he died on its soil, so shall I.' Lily objected, returning Hermione's pointed look with a firm look of hers. She asked a passing older man, 'Excuse me, where's the sherry?'

Hermione realized it after it was too late that Gran had just asked Father John, the pastor. _Oops_.

'Sorry, M'am, but we do not serve sherry in the church.' Father John informed her politely, before offering her a tight smile. 'How about some English tea?'

Lily looked offended at being offered tea. '_Tea_? I can have English tea all I want later, but right now I need a good dose of sherry!' Lily stood upright, and even though she wasn't very tall, Father John was taken aback, and he looked like he was wishing that it wasn't him trying to persuade Lily out of drinking sherry.

'It's all right, Father John, we'll handle this.' Hermione said, holding Lily's opposite shoulder to stop Lily from spewing lectures to poor Father John. Father John gave her look that seemed to say 'Thank the Lord' before walking off.

'Honestly, what sort of church is this if they don't serve sherry!' Lily huffed.

'Lily,' Draco cleared his throat so that he had both of the women's attention. He discreetly held up a small silver flask. Lily's eyes opened wide as she took the flask excitedly.

'Oh, is this sherry?' she asked in an excited voice. With a nod from Draco she clasped her hands together happily. 'Thank you, Draco! Now if you'll excuse me, Hermione dear, I will be outside enjoying this sherry!' she winked and walked away.

'How did you conjure it? You can't, you know, Food is the first of the five Principal Exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration.' Hermione asked, astonished.

Draco shrugged. 'I didn't. I always carry one around with me. Never know when I'd need it.'

'Oh, thank you!' Hermione gushed as she threw her arms around him. 'Not for being a semi-alcoholic, I mean. You've just saved us from a long lecture from Gran on how different churches in London are from churches in New York. Although I'm not exactly sure churches in New York serves sherry either.' Hermione frowned, lost in her thoughts. Draco could practically see the gears in her head whirling to make a mental note to make a trip to the library to check if they did.

'So here I am, your great savior, and you call me a 'semi-alcoholic'?' Draco asked, bringing their foreheads together. 'Not very grateful, are you.'

'Who else carries a tiny flask of sherry around with him if he's not a semi-alcoholic!" Hermione inquired.

'Blaise, that's who. Oh, and Theodore. Pretty much most of the Slytherins. Never know when it might come in handy. And trust me, it just did.' Draco reminded her.

'No wonder you Slytherin boys always seem to be a tad high.' Hermione insisted. Draco merely chuckled and pressed his lips to her forehead.

'Then it that case, you are in love with an alcoholic.' Draco commented.

'Just like Kate Moss. Only that you aren't into drugs, thank the Lord.' Hermione smiled. Draco's eyebrows wrinkled in confusion.

'What's Kate Moss? Is it some sort of herb?'

Hermione laughed. 'No, I should have remembered that you don't know about Muggle celebrities. She's a stick thin model who dates this drug addict, who's also an alcoholic. Come to think of it, she used to be a drug addict herself. Nope, I do not want to be like Kate Moss.' Hermione concluded, talking to herself more than talking to Draco.

'Your Muggle celebrities are so weird.' Draco tutted.

'Like you aren't.' Hermione retorted. 'Remind me how did we start talking about Kate Moss again?'

'You digress.' Draco simply said. Hermione giggled as the both of them simultaneously lowered/offered their lips to meet, but sprang apart the moment Ben said, 'Hermione! Your scones!'

Draco gritted his teeth in annoyance as he tried to keep his temper down. This was about the third bloody time this Ben character had disrupted their intimate moment. One more strike, and he was out.

'Uh, Ben!' Hermione tried to mask her embarrassment with a bright tone to match Ben's. 'Thanks.' She took the scones from him and took a bite. It was yummy to the core and was still fresh from the oven.

'Tastes fab. God, Draco, try one.' Hermione offered her scone to Draco, not missing the flicker of disapproval on Ben's face, and Draco took a bite.

'Lovely.' He said, but he held Hermione's gaze and kissed her index finger that was holding the scone, making it clear that he enjoyed the person who offered the scone more than the scone itself.

'Was that Lily I saw outside?' Ben asked, breaking up the moment again. Draco screamed in his head. _Okay, maybe I could just do one of the stronger Stinging Hex, just when nobody's looking... Yes, sounds good._

'Oh, yes, Gran wanted sherry, and Draco happened to have some.' Hermione said, before taking another bite. 'And these are _really_ good!'

'I know how much you love them, Hermione, remember the time you shoved down so many scones you had a tummy ache?' Ben laughed a little too forcefully, before turning to Draco. 'I was up with her the entire night, you know!'

_No, of course I don't know, because I wouldn't let Hermione scarf down enough scones to make her stomach hurt, you great imbecile,_ Draco answered darkly. He kept his expression neutral and light, but Hermione didn't miss the flashing rage of storm in his eyes.

'Of course, Hermione told me all about it.' Draco replied in his normal silky tone, but Hermione didn't miss the undertone of anger. Apparently Ben didn't either; his expression immediately brightened.

'Did she? Oh, did she tell you about the time we had our first drink? We just kept drinking till we got really wasted and we woke up the next morning with the worst hangover ever.' Ben informed him.

A light bulb lit up in Draco's head. So this was Ben's plan; to get Draco jealous of the long history he and Hermione had. _Well, I bet in that long history of yours you've never made her moan like I did, you incorrigible snit._ Draco thought with a smirk.

'Really. I suggest this hangover cure that's really good. Works for a headache too.' Draco said.

'Really?' Ben asked, seemingly astonished.

'Yeah, you just bang your head on the nearest wall. It'd be lights out for a couple of hours; should be long enough for the hangover to subside.' Draco replied with a straight face. Hermione started laughing, much to the annoyance of Ben.

'Really, Draco, you don't get enough credit for your wit.' Hermione laughed as she leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed contentedly. 'Apparently I'm the only one who can stand it.'

'I learn from the best.' Draco haughtily replied, and made an exaggerated bow, which sent Hermione into another fit of laughter.

'I'll see you later, Hermione.' Ben said, removing himself from the scene. He added bitterly, 'Enjoy the scones.' And stormed off.

'God, I thought he'd never leave.' Draco muttered as he took a scone from the bag Hermione was holding.

'Don't be so mean,' Hermione frowned, and snapped her teeth at him.

'Who's being mean here?' Draco teased. 'But you know what he was going on at, don't you?'

'Yeah, I guess.' Hermione shrugged. 'God, what's wrong with the male population?' Hermione groaned.

'Being unable to resist a woman like you is completely normal for our level of testosterone.' Draco pointed out.

Hermione rolled her eyes and gave the blond a playful shove.

'Let's just hope things will turn out better. Maybe he'd give up.' Hermione suggested brightly.

'Maybe he won't, either. Let's just hope things won't turn out the way it did with Weasley; you almost killed yourself, and you're still friends with the brute.' Draco frowned in disapproval at the last point.

'Ron is a wonderful friend, and so is Ben. I wouldn't want to lose them.' Hermione defended them.

'You know, I always wondered, why don't you ever hang out with girls? You're always around boys.' Draco asked.

'I do hang out with girls; Ginny.' Hermione pointed out.

'I said girls, Hermione, not girl. Ginny Weasley is the only girl you ever talk to on a long-term basis. Before her, you didn't even talk much to the female population of the level. Were you that horny even from First Year to hang around boys all day long?' Draco teased.

'No, I believe that was you, you titillated arse,' Hermione smirked. She thought for a while. 'I think I liked boys better because they were more honest. There's nothing subtle to them, unless they were a Slytherin. They aren't like girls; all sneaky and sometimes even bitchy. Boys are open and direct; much better to the way I prefer. Gin's got all these brothers, so she is pretty much like one herself.' Hermione shrugged.

'The She-Weasel might just hex your woman bits off if she heard that.' Draco reminded her.

'I meant in terms of personality! But other than that Gin's about as womanly as I am.' Hermione said. 'I mean, haven't you seen half of the male population drooling over her?'

'Yeah, even some Slytherin boys.' Draco frowned in disgust. 'You'd think with that temper people would stay away.'

'Gin's nice, it's just that she has a very strong personality.' Hermione defended her.

'All right, enough talking about the She-Weasel. When's this church going to end?' Draco looked around, frowning.

'Just as soon as Father John says so.' Hermione glanced at the clock. 'In about half an hour I suppose.' She shrugged.

'Half an hour?' Draco echoed. 'Oh great, how long have we been here?' he groaned.

'Oh, stop whining, you great big baby,' Hermione laughed, 'It's only been an hour or so.'

'And that isn't enough?' Draco asked.

'God, I wonder how Blaise could stand your whining.' Hermione mock-groaned, and laughed when Draco picked her up and swung her around a bit.

'He didn't; he will hex me to shut up,' Draco said.

'And I have half a mind to do so now.' Hermione agreed.

'Did I mention I'd hex him back so badly that he had to make multiple trips to Madam Pomfrey?' Draco added casually. Hermione's grin slid off her face.

'You're such a killjoy!' She pouted and ran off. Draco stared after her, an easy smile falling into place.

'Draco, dear, here.' Lily tapped him on the shoulder and handed him his flask, which was relatively empty.

'Oh, right.' Draco accepted the flask and placed it back into his pocket, after making a mental note to _Scourgify_ the flask two times over.

'Lovely bit of sherry, dear, but there was a fine hint of something that I can't put my finger on.' Lily tapped her chin.

'I got the recipe from my Father.' Draco informed her.

'Ah, explains.' Lily gave a slight smile, before looking around.

'Sorry, were you looking for somebody?' Draco asked.

'Oh, no, lovie, all right, Draco, was it? Yes, well, tell me, how long have you been with Hermione?' Lily moved closer, scrutinizing Draco's face with her eyes.

'A few months, now.' Draco admitted.

'A few months! And she even brought you back home to meet dad and mum! So you two have got to be close eh?' Lily gave a grin.

'Yes, we are. In fact, I'm planning to bring her to meet my mother sometime soon.'

'Mother? What about dear old Father?' Lily inquired, suddenly taking a huge interest.

'Father and I do not see eye-to-eye.' Draco explained. 'He doesn't approve of Hermione.'

'So she's met him?'

'Oh yes, quite a number of times. My Father's quite a prominent figure in the Ministry of Magic, so he's made some appearances in the school. And well, Father's prejudiced like that. I think it'd be best if we do not anger him.'

'Ah, so you're afraid of bringing Hermione back to your Father?' Lily asked, sounding more accusing that questioning.

'No, not at all. For one, both Hermione and Father are characters, and their views on matters are worlds apart. I wouldn't want Hermione to get upset, nor for Father to get too agitated. His heart isn't very well.' _If he even has a heart,_ Draco added strong silently.

'Ah, I see. So, what do you think of Hermione so far?' Lily asked.

'I think she's a delightful woman to be of companionship with. She's witty; I'll give her that. Conversations with her are never dry. And of course, she has a huge brain. God, she tops our level every year.' Draco mock complained, giving Lily half a smile. He knew he should save the remarks on her looks for the last, or it'd make it look like he was only with her for her looks. 'And of course, the fact that she's stunning helps as well.'

'Ah yes, my Hermione's grown into a little woman.' Lily gazed after her Granddaughter, a light smile appearing on her lips. Then she turned to Draco, with a frown. 'You wouldn't hurt her, would you?'

'No, not a chance.' Draco immediately said.

'Because, forgive me, but if my memory serves right, the two of you had never gotten along well, am I right? Hermione complained to me sometimes about a certain Draco Malfoy in her school, and I'm quite certain there is only _one_ Draco Malfoy in her level.' Lily gazed at Draco with an accusation in her eyes.

_Oh come off it, you might as well just accuse me of shoving a love potion down her throat_.

'It's true that we've had our... differences. Hermione clipped me in my jaw once, in our Third Year, did she tell you?' Draco rubbed his jaw absent-mindedly.

'Yes, she wrote about it in her letter. She was absolutely bursting with happiness that she did.' Lily stated.

'Yes well, as I've said; differences. But now that we're older and more mature, we'd given it a go.' Draco explained.

'_Given it a go_, you say. Well, hear me properly, Draco,' Lily brought her face so close to Draco's that he could smell the sherry on her breath. This was quite a feat for a woman of her size. 'You hurt her blessed heart of gold and rest assured I'd be after you in a heartbeat. I know that you've got a fancy wand and all that, but I've got more contacts that you most probably do. I don't know what she was thinking, bringing you here and upsetting poor old Ben. He drank the rest of my sherry just now, did you know? No, you wouldn't know. But anyway, remember, when you do mess up, Draco, Ben will be there for her.' She pulled away, a bright smile appearing on her face, 'So excuse me now, it's time to go look for more sherry!' she announced merrily and swaggered away.

Draco looked after he, astonished. Did this 70 odd year old woman just_threaten_ him? Him, Draco _Malfoy_? That was just surreal. What did the old bat have against him anyway? She'd only known him for an odd 15 minutes, and he'd even offered his sherry to her! _Which reminds me_, Draco took out his flask and stared at it disgustedly, _that dog Ben drank from it too._ He looked at the silver flask –real silver—that had ornate carvings on it, felt a sinking in his stomach. _No way am I going to drink from it if Ben has. Shame, though, it's pretty._ He walked to the nearest bin and dumped it in.

'I thought you needed a flask to carry around your handy sherry.' Hermione murmured as she threw her arms around his neck, giving him a tight hug from the back.

'Ah, so there's the mysterious runaway lady.' Draco chuckled. He turned around to face her. 'Yes, you do need a flask but your darling Grandmother let Ben drink from it too.' He wrinkled his nose distastefully.

'You seemed a little more than pissed,' Hermione observed. Draco wondered if to tell her what Lily just told him, but decided against it. He'd have to play it out with Lily and see what she's up to first, before telling Hermione anything. After all, maybe Lily got pissed easily and wasn't coherent when she was talking to Draco. No point kicking up a fuss with Hermione's family members.

'Oh, no, why would I be?' Draco questioned, reigning in his expression just in time. If Hermione saw his face sans his mask, she'd know in a flash that he was hiding something from her.

'Nothing, you just... seem a bit different.' Hermione cocked her head to the side, scrutinizing Draco's face. He felt a bit uncomfortable, the way he'd feel when his Father was reprimanding him or staring at him bleakly with those ice gray eyes Draco had come to inherit. But for goodness sake's, this was Hermione they were talking about. Since when was he ever uncomfortable lying? And besides, Hermione's chocolate brown eyes and Lucius' glacial ones were world's apart. Draco gave her a smile, before entwining their fingers together.

'So, who else do I have to meet? Or do we finally start praying for forgiveness from Father Christ?' Draco asked, walking slowly.

'Oh, you know, Mom thought this was a bit too much so we're leaving in about ten minutes. I don't think there'll be any praying today; even Father John's not doing his sermons.'

'Then what, did we come to church for, when we could be doing things so much more...' he twirled a lock of her blonde hair, 'entertaining?'

'You're heinous,' Hermione laughed. 'Everyone was just excited to meet you. Be grateful.'

'They're only excited because little old Hermione had never brought back a male.' Draco corrected her. 'So we're leaving in ten minutes?'

'Look at you, you look delighted to leave!' Hermione laughed, squirming when Draco tickled her.

'Of course I am. I'm still waiting to be showered with your lots and lots of love.' Draco reminded her with a smug smile.

**A/N: Sorry if this isn't up to par; nowadays my writing seems to be taking a toll. ): Hope you still enjoy this longer-than-usual chapter though! **


	5. Chapter 5: Dear Lily

'Hermione, where'd you like to go for lunch?' Will asked, looking up from his daily newspaper, only to see Hermione staring with at Draco with a dazed smile while Draco read the _Daily Prophet_, seemingly oblivious to Hermione's loving stare. Will chuckled lightly. 'Hermione?' He pressed on.

'Huh? Pardon?' Hermione snapped awake from her trance, turning her attention to her rather amused-looking Father.

'I asked, where'd you like to go for lunch.' Will repeated, taking a sip of his morning tea.

'More tea, dear?' Anna offered. Will gave her a smile of thanks as she poured it out for him.

'Oh, er, don't you have work today, Dad?' Hermione asked, surprised.

'Yes, well, I thought I'd take half a day off.' Will shrugged. 'So how about it eh?'

'Dad, I'd love to!' Hermione bounced in her seat, taking a bite of her toast. 'How about that new restaurant? What's it called again? Er...' her eyebrows wrinkled in concentration. 'I think it was Nadine's or something.'

'They serve Greek food.' Will informed her.

'Yes, I know. Well, since Draco's family roots are semi-Greek I thought I ought to try a bit of their food.' Hermione said, giving Draco a sidelong glance with a special smile for him. Draco grinned back.

'Oh?' Will turned his attention to Draco. 'You're part Greek?'

'Well, my family's roots go back a long time, but the only ones I'm sure I'm part of are Greek, French, and I think my Father's a bit of Latin.' Draco's eyebrows furrowed. 'I'm not all that sure, really.'

'Well, that's interesting. Er, say, Draco, you wouldn't mind if I stole Hermione for the afternoon would you?' Will asked. Draco didn't look surprised; he should have expected it sooner or later.

'No, no problem at all, Will. I was planning to take a rest in my room and contact my Mother.' Draco informed him.

'Okay, so that settles it. Hermione, I'll fetch you at around half past one, how about it?'

'Yeah, sure Dad.' Hermione beamed at her Father. She stood up rather abruptly, announcing that she'd be in her room for a while. Draco watched her go, and found that his eyes were following that cute bum of hers. He mused to himself silently how many times had it been that he had seen that particular cute bum without any material covering it before realizing that Will had fixed his gaze on Draco. Anna took her seat next to Will and the two of them looked at each other, seeming to be muttered under their breath. Draco waited for one of them to start talking.

_Draco, can you hear me?_

Draco almost jumped out of his seat, but thanks to years and years of trained control, he merely uncrossed his legs and crossed it with the other leg on top. Did he just hear Hermione in his thoughts? _My, I must be thinking about her too much._

_No, you big doof. I used one of the spells I found in a book to communicate with you telepathically. _

I see. Missed me that much, did you?

_You wish. Mom and Dad are going to talk about that incident yesterday morning._

I know.

_Aren't you afraid you'll let slip?_

Hermione, dear, I'm not known as Slytherin's Prince for _nothing_ you know.

_Should have known. Come up to my room when you're done then._

Draco felt an odd sensation leave him. Hermione must have lifted the spell to give him back the privacy he so rightly deserved over his own thoughts. He made a mental note to ask Hermione about the spell later. Right now he had to work on charming the parents. And they looked like they were about to ask anytime now...

'So, Draco, about yesterday...' Anna started, her voice faltering.

'We know that the two of you were completely decent,' Will added.

'But I don't think it's right that the two of you to have pre-marital sex.' Anna finished firmly. They eerily reminded him off the two Weasley twins.

'I know of your concerns as my own Mother have pressed these issues on me since I was a young boy,' Draco lied with a truthful face. Truth was, Narcissa had told him to play the field when he turned 13. 'I assure you whatever that goes on between Hermione and I is chaste.'

'I know, but when things come in the moment of heat, I don't know if the two of you can...' Anna faltered once again, unsure of what word to use.

'Maintain abstinence?' Draco ventured, gaining a nod from Anna. He swallowed thickly, laying on the innocent act thicker, 'I assure you that Hermione and I have taken precautions for that too.' He finished, blinking as if he was thinking to himself, 'Merlin, did I just say that in front of a pair of _parents_!?'

'What sort?' Will asked, before shrinking back into his seat, unable to believe that he's actually prying on his daughter's love/sex life. _Good God._

'There's such a spell that will immediately force both of us away from each other should we get too... ardent, I suppose. The spell is completely harmless, but it does make sure we can't get to within a foot of each other until we calm down.' Draco fibbed without a seam out of line.

'Well then uh,' Will blinked as well, as if disbelieving that Draco would be so truthful and unabashed about this matter.

'We're glad to hear it.' Anna finished for her husband, giving Draco a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

'I'll take my leave.' Draco nodded and walked up the stairs, restraining himself from laughing. _My, I could go be an actor. _

He surveyed the pictures that hung on the wall as he made his slow way up. They were Muggle pictures, of course, so they just remained lifeless, but nonetheless, each one with Hermione seemed to be alive with her infectious smile. There was one when she was 5, when she was going through a little plump period. Her cheeks were rosy from the apparent snowfall as she stood beside her snowman what had a crooked smile made of buttons. Her arms were akimbo and she stood at such a proud stance that conveyed 'I made the snowman all by myself!' such to a point that it was truly endearing. Her nose was red from the cold as well but that didn't stop her. Draco wanted so badly to take the 5-year old Hermione from the picture and cuddle her.

_God, did I just think that?_

Draco shook his head and chuckled at himself. Lord knows what hanging around bloody-open Gryffindors had done to him.

He stood outside of Hermione's door, about to knock before Hermione opened the door, and gave a little jump as she saw him outside.

'Oh! I was just about to head down to see if you needed any rescuing.'

'So what does that make me? A damsel in distress?' Draco mused, stepping forward so as to press his entire body into Hermione's. He picked up a lock of stray hair and toyed with it silently.

'I—I suppose.' Hermione faltered, seemingly distracted by the presence of Draco's warm body pressed against hers.

'Does that make you my knight in shining armor then?' Draco murmured as he nuzzled his nose into her neck, making Hermione lose all train of thought. He smiled against her skin, making sure she felt it. It was still so amusing to see how little gestures could startle her.

'I, uh...' Hermione stuttered, trying her best to form a coherent sentence. Draco bit her neck without any warning, causing her to jump out of her skin and she held onto his shoulders as he continued his assault on her neck; lips, teeth and tongue all participating in the event, gaining little moans from Hermione.

'Draco—' she breathed, 'maybe we should—' she gasped as Draco swirled his tongue against the little teeth mark that was forming on the side of her neck, 'maybe we should stop.' She finished firmly, pulling away from Draco.

Draco stared at her, astonished. He could feel his jaw hang open. _What did she just say_?

'We should close the door first,' Hermione added with a sly smile as she pulled him into the room by his collar and kicked the door shut, making sure to lock it.

_Ah, but of course._

* * *

'So, Hermione, what looks good to you?' Will asked as he put down the silver-framed menu.

'Well, everything looks great here.' Hermione muttered approvingly at the colored-pictures provided of the food. 'The fried _kalamari_, perhaps? Ooh! Or maybe the _paidakia_.' She paused, and stared at the waiter. 'That's lamb-chop right?'

'Yes, Miss.' He answered with a dazzling smile. Hermione gave a chaste smile back, letting him know that she was immune to his charm. True, he was good looking, but not like her very own platinum blonde that was at her home right now, perhaps basking in the after-glow of their events of the morning like she was. _God, stop thinking about it_, she blushed furiously as she remembered the way she savagely bit Draco, drawing a bit of blood. She apologized profusely for it and tried to heal it with her wand but Draco insisted that she let it heal by itself, saying that it looked sexy. Then he kissed her senseless.

Hermione shook her head, trying to remember where she was. If she unknowingly gave out a moan she'd have a lot to answer for.

'So I'll have the _paidakia_,' Hermione squinted to see if she got the pronunciation correct, and continued, 'for drinks I'd like to try the _Metaxa_.'

'Hermione, it's not even the evening yet and you want to get yourself drunk?' Will jokingly reprimanded.

'All right then,' Hermione pouted, 'how about the Greek coffee?'

'Excellent choice, Miss. How about you, sir?' he accepted the menu, turning his attention to Will.

'Ah, I'd like the _Gyros_? Oh, and the _Spetsofai_.' Will handed him the menu.

'Drinks, sir?'

'Same as the lovely young lady, thanks.' Will smiled at Hermione, who returned the smile with her own. 'So, how do you like this place?'

Hermione swept her gaze over the dimly lit restaurant. As it wasn't sundown yet, the effect of the candles weren't put to full use but she was glad to see that there were loads of candid photos of Greece that hung on the walls. Some were framed with elaborate, painted and carved frames, whereas others were just laminated. The soft music playing in the background only added to the atmosphere. The restaurant was painted with rich hues of dark green and gold; a combination of both Hermione's and Draco's house colours. She made a mental note to bring Draco here one day. _God, can I stop thinking about him for a moment!_

'It's lovely.' Hermione replied earnestly.

'I'm glad you like it.' Will smiled back, but Hermione knew he was just itching to ask her about something. If it was anything, Will was more than predictable. Especially to his only daughter who'd spent her entire life with him. _Anytime now..._ she sang in her head.

'Hermione,' Will finally said.

'Yes?'

'Your mother and I... are rather, uh, _concerned_, with how fast things are going between you and Draco.' Will started cautiously, looking at Hermione's face for any sign if she were to launch into a defensive speech. God knows that was the last thing he needed now.

'Oh?' was all Hermione said. Will frowned mentally. He'd have expected Hermione to be sputtering all sorts of defenses by now.

'Yes. Well. Sleeping with one another —even with clothes on— is not very... _acceptable_, at least not under my roof. I know, it's a new century and everything is different from my time, but I'd like you to understand, that whatever I'm saying right now, is for your own good, all right?' Will asked, whereas Hermione frowned but nodded.

'Draco seems like a nice guy. A very thoughtful one, if I might add. But he seems to be harboring too many secrets. He seems to have indefinite control over his features; I know I sound crazy but it's like he's forever deciding in a split-second on what his face shows. He seems a little too... controlled. Like he's acting all the time. And it's hard to tell what he's thinking under that face of his. I just—' Will's shoulders slumped, 'I just don't want to see you get hurt.'

'Dad,' Hermione started, grasping her father's hand with both of hers, 'I know Draco seems...' she scrunched her face, trying to search for the correct word, '_guarded_. Cautious, even. And yes, I am aware that he hides most of his true feelings within him, but that is how he was brought up. In his family, everyone's just as controlled and cautious and cynical as he is. The Malfoys are a very old family, and they're one of the last existing pureblood families in the wizarding world. They've supposedly got a reputation to uphold. Draco's father, Lucius Malfoy, is not the nicest man you can ever meet. In fact, I don't think he's got one paternal bone in his body. He's one of the coldest, most cruel and vile person I've ever seen. But Draco's nothing like him, I'm glad to say, at least not willingly. Draco spent most of his life under the care of house elves, his Mother, and maybe his sister even, but I'm glad to say that Lucius Malfoy has not infected Draco with his behavior.

'True, Draco does have some of his Father's characteristics. Like his guarded behavior, or his way of speech and the way he carries himself. But that's just who he is, Dad, and I'm not going to make him change just for my sake. It's all determined in his genes, but the difference between them is that Draco is not evil. Lucius Malfoy has done many unspeakable things in his life, but Draco's life has barely started. In Draco's house, Slytherin, everyone's isolated from each other; all of them are guarded and wary of everyone; it's like Draco doesn't have anybody to trust. Anyone can get tired of it in the long run, and I know Draco is.

'And then there's me. _I_ can be the one he can trust; _I_ can be the one to show him that not everybody in the world is like how the people in his parents' social circle are. That _some_ of us are still decent and we don't do favors for each other only for a mutual gain—Thank you,' she moved her elbows so that the waiter could put her dish in front of her, '—And that there is such thing as _unconditional love_. Draco didn't have much while growing up. Not like me. He lives in a bloody _Manor_ for goodness' sake! Can you imagine any warmth in it? He was cared for by house-elves, Dad. House-elves only serve their families by obligation, and very few out of both obligation and love. He does let his guard down when he's around me. But it's only when there's nobody else around. He can't let himself relax; it was how he was brought up: Never let others see what you truly feel, or they'll use it as a weakness against you. It's a difficult mindset to change, especially if you are about to embark on your new journey to adulthood.

'I will not get myself hurt, because I _know_ Draco wouldn't want to do anything to hurt me. I know I haven't been with him for a long time, but the past events of these few months have proved to me everything I need to know about. Draco's like Harry and Ron, but the better deal is that Draco is levelheaded; he thinks before doing anything, and not only that, he thinks objectively and rationally. And well, it's nice to talk to him and everything. I get the sense of security when I'm around him; he has almost as much influence over people as his Father does. If you still think that I'm going to get hurt by a _boy_, then you don't know me.' Hermione stabbed her fork into her lamb-chop for dramatic effect and sliced apiece off, biting into its juicy goodness.

'Well, I—' Will frowned, 'I'm sorry, Hermione, for doubting your judgment,' he swallowed, as if embarrassed to be outtalked by his daughter. 'It's not everyday you bring a boy back, you know,' he smiled sheepishly, looking a lot younger when he did, 'I just wanted to protect you. Both your Mother and I. And your Gran.' Will frowned again. 'In fact, your Gran is more concerned than we are. She was the one who told me to make sure to keep an eye on Draco.'

'That's odd. I had the feeling Gran liked Draco after he offered her his sherry.' Hermione frowned.

'Yes well, you'll never know for sure when dear old Mum is concerned eh?' Will laughed.

* * *

_Dear Mother,_

_I am fine, already settled into Hermione's home. Her parents are well, a bit protective, I suppose, but nevertheless they're decent people. I've also met her Grandmother who was visiting from New York. She seems a bit more... complicated than the rest, but not to worry, nothing I can't handle._

_But to get to the point of my letter: What was Father doing at the station? Did I not tell him to not come? Kicking up a fuss in front of an audience whom most are my acquaintances is not how I'd like to leave the school. I do not want to be ridiculed for Father's incompetence over handling his own son, either. Also, I doubt I'd be returning to the Manor at all after the little incident at the station. You shall just have to owl me my clothes and the necessities, at least until Father finally cools down or goes away for another one of his business trips._

_I'd really like for you to meet Hermione, but not now, at least not when Father's still around._

_Love, Draco_

He read the letter over once to make sure it sounded coherent; the last thing he needed was for Narcissa to send a squad of house-elves into the Granger's home to escort a supposed deranged Draco back home.

He gazed fondly at his owl, who nipped at his finger affectionately. It was a gift that his Mother had given to him when he turned 9. He used to hate the bird and yelled at it whenever it squawked. But when the ever young and haughty Draco Malfoy flew his broom over an abandoned bush and fell down, dislocating his shoulder at the same moment, he was all but defenseless if it wasn't for Bardeus, Draco might have died in the woods. Not that he'd admit it to anyone after that, of course, but he respected Bardeus a lot more after that incident and had tried to change his name, which mean 'stupid' due to Draco's immense hatred of the bird at first, to Fortis, which meant 'brave' but Bardeus didn't respond to anything else besides his current name. So the name stuck. But Draco viewed the bird in a much different way; the once annoying way his feathers turned from brown to white at its neck was now viewed as endearing, and his piercing green eyes which were once repulsive to Draco was now known as an eye that saw all. Of course, he had never admitted his bond with his owl to anyone before. Not even to Blaise, but Draco had a feeling the boy had known about it all along; Blaise had an uncanny knack of getting everything right in one.

Draco reached over to ruffle the feathers on the small of Bardeus' back, before sealing the letter and handing it over. 'Deliver this to my Mother, but only do so when my Father's not around.' He fed her another corn bit before opening the window to let her fly out.

He collapsed onto his bed, taking in deep breaths to calm himself. With the intimate moments with Hermione being an exception, Lily's mini-speech had been haunting him the entire time. There was something about that woman that seemed a bit... daunting. Draco frowned, resisting the urge to smash something. He hated it when he didn't know everything and didn't have any control over the situation. This was, after all, uncharted territories. How often does he meet his girlfriend's family? Never, that was what. He never even had a proper girlfriend; just the casual relationship and shags.

And the worst part was that he couldn't be his usual snotty self because the Grangers didn't know of his family's influence in the wizarding world. Draco heaved a big sigh. _The things we do for love._

* * *

'Give it to me,' the gray-haired lady instructed the bloody over-sized bird that was now perching at the railing of her hotel. _This is why I have to stay by myself in a bloody hotel. Bloody bird._

'I repeat: hand the letter over, you sordid bird.' She commanded. The gray owl with elaborate patterns over its body looked, or maybe even glared at her, if owls could glare, for a moment before handing the letter over reluctantly. It kept its stance on the railing, not moving away. 'Well, then, come on in. I don't expect how I can explain the existence of a bloody _owl_ in my balcony.' She stepped away and opened the sliding door to give the owl entrance. The bird flew above her head and landed on her bed post and hooted haughtily. The amount of desire to fling a shoe at the bird was beyond imagination.

She turned the letter over and of course, there it was, the all-too-familiar slant cursive minute handwriting of her once best friend-turned enemy. She broke the seal and scanned the first line of the letter and smiled amusedly. It read; _Dear Lily, we've got a lot to discuss about now._

-A/N: Cliff cliff! Haha. Yes, well, I've got it planned out. Sort of. Still at the drawing board, might I add. I'll be off to holiday for 2 weeks so I might not be able to post anything new up, although I'll be luggin my beloved Mac with me. Anyhoo, enjoy!


	6. Chapter 6: Scanty Teddy

'Thanks for the lunch, Dad, see you later.' Hermione kissed her Dad's cheek as she hopped out of the car. Finally, she and Draco would have the house all to themselves. At least until 7 when the clinic closed.

She unlocked the door as quietly as she could, not wanting to reveal her presence to Draco. Thank God Dad had oiled the door's hinges not so long ago. She tiptoed up the stairs to her room, making sure she skipped all the telltale creaky steps, before slipping quietly into her room. She turned to her closet and rooted through the hangers, before pulling out the scanty red silk teddy Ginny Weasley had gotten for her when she had turned 15. God knew what Ginny thought (or hoped) Hermione and Ron were doing at the time. Hermione thought she'd never use it, but now it seemed the time has come.

She closed the closet doors so that the full-length mirrors would face her, and with a determined look, she held up the teddy to her body, trying to envision how she'd look likeif she wore it.

She knew Draco had been with many girls, more than the guys she had been with, which wasn't hard to beat, since the only guys she'd ever shagged were Harry and Draco; and now Harry was gay. But nevertheless, she can't help but feel inferior if she compared herself to the other girls she had heard from the grapevine who had been Draco.

Take Julie Pyatt for example; she was a whore, that was a given, but she also knew how to accentuate her every curve and seem to diminish every flaw and she knew how much pout was enough, unlike Hermione, who had not the slightest on idea on _how_to pout. Of course Hermione wasn't going to owl Pyatt on advice, goodness, no way. She'd just have to make do with her own resources. A thought occurred to her. Of course, who else did she know was as bold as to ever get involved with boys for just a night besides Bex? She picked up the phone and dialed Bex's number, hoping to God that she wouldn't be nursing a hangover from some random press party she was forever ranting on about.

'Hello?'

_I will never question God's existence_, Hermione looked heavenward. Bex didn't sound totally coherent but it was better than nothing.

'Bex, it's me, Hermione.'

'Herms! Where'd you and lover boy disappear to the other night? Saw you both getting hot and heavy on the dance floor.' Bex laughed coyly.

'Well, we ran into Ben.' Hermione stated. After a few moments of silence, Bex finally decided to reply with an ambiguous 'oh'.

'Well, since we're on the topic of being 'hot and heavy', what do you know about it?' Hermione asked slowly. _God, I can't believe I actually asked it._

'Ah, so you guys have shagged,' Bex observed. Hermione rolled her eyes; Bex could be so trying when she wanted to be.

'Yes, and another million times,' Hermione claimed dramatically, 'but I want this time to be special. I tell you the entire story next time but now I want to reward him for keeping in rein the entire time we've been here. He would have punched Ben if I wasn't there.' Hermione gave an example.

'Ah, the reward sex, or as often as I call it, bribery. But then again, lovie, he is quite a snatch. All right, name me your sexiest clothing right now.' Bex commanded in her most professional tone.

'I've got a scanty teddy, but I'm not really sure if I should wear—'

'A scanty teddy? Hermione Granger owning a _scanty teddy_? Goodness, what do they teach you in boarding school!' Bex roared with laughter over the phone.

'Bex, focus! It was a gift! So should I wear it or not? Because I wouldn't want to come on too strong and it also doesn't really cover—'

'_Should you wear it_? Of course you should, silly-billy!' Bex laughed again. 'And it's not supposed to cover much, or else what are we paying for? What colour is it?'

Hermione hesitated a moment, before muttering 'red'.

'Even better! Red's a passionate colour. Lovely. All right then, put it on then tell me how you look. Don't even think of wriggling out of wearing it, Granger; if you want to reward him might as well go all the way.' Bex warned.

'But I don't want to seem cheap!' Hermione insisted.

'Hermione, teddies aren't supposed to make you look cheap, unless you're standing in a hooker bar doing shots.' Bex snapped. 'Now put it on before I hang up and you'll be left with miserable porn sites to learn from! Now _that's_ cheap.'

Hermione groaned and set the phone on the table. She stripped off the modest polo tee and brown corduroys she had donned for lunch and slipped on the silky material, shivering at how cold it made her body feel. Ginny had probably tweaked with it a bit. Hermione turned to her full-length mirror and almost laughed aloud. She almost looked seductive! _Can you imagine; me, Hermione Granger, Gryffindor's bookworm; a seductress? I wonder what Ron and Harry'd say if they saw me_. She frowned, _or perhaps I wouldn't want to know._

'All right, I've got it on now.' Hermione muttered into the phone.

'Good, now tell me how do you look like.' Bex instructed.

'Well uh, I seem almost, well... sexy.' Hermione herself sounded surprised with the last word.

'That is all I need to work with, now—'

'Wait, how will you know? You can't even see me now,' Hermione pointed out.

'Yes, well, but confidence really is the sexiest thing a woman can ever possess. The most confident woman can only be wearing a garbage bag but if she were struttin' and doing her own thing, she'd still attract men. Whereas the most shy, most plain girl could be wearing the world's most sexiest piece of clothing and look smoking hot but if she'd stumble around and walk with her head down, nobody'd give her a second look.' Bex informed Hermione. 'Now, pout.'

'Pout?'

'Yeah, didn't you hear me right? Pout. Like, you know, a fish? God, really, isn't everybody screwing everybody in boarding school?' Bex huffed in annoyance. Hermione bit her lip to stop herself from laughing at the mental image of Ron banging the hell out of Pansy. Or maybe Pansy and Snape! No wait, that's _disturbing_.

'Nope,' she managed. 'No shagging at all. None that I want to know of anyway.' Hermione shrugged even though Bex couldn't see her.

'Yes well, just pout. Pretend there's his lips are just a few millimeters away and you want to kiss it.' Hermione did as she was told but she found that she looked ridiculous.

'I look like a moron.'

'Of course, because that's the wrong way of doing it. Now, shift your lower lip a bit so that it's aligned with your upper lip, then suck in a bit of the lower lip. Now _that's_ a pout.' Hermione could practically hear her nodding.

She did as she was told and pouted a bit, startled at how she never knew she could put her lips to better uses. Her pout did look sort of, sexy, she could admit it. She gave a nervous chuckle; here was she pretending to be seductive in front of a mirror. Wait till Draco saw her.

'... But don't overdo it, or you'll look like you're sulking.' Bex warned. 'So, how's it?'

'Yeah, it looks okay, I guess. But other than pouting...?'

'There's the lip biting.' Bex pointed out.

'I bite his lip?' Hermione asked, surprised. She wasn't sure if Draco was a masochist.

'No you dingbat! God, you are so innocent it's almost painful. Didn't you know; when girls bite their lips correctly, it looks _coy_.' Bex informed Hermione. Hermione raised an eyebrow.

'Really. So how do you go about biting your lip?' Hermione asked. _This is so retarded._

'All right, bite the very edge of your lower lip. Like where the lips turned to gums. Yup, and bite it to the side. Biting it to the middle's all right too, I guess, but I prefer the side. Just not all the way to the side, or your lip'll look contorted. Now lower your chin just a tinsy bit so you can look up at him from under your lashes, and maybe tilt your head downwards just a bit too...'

Hermione was trying. _She really was!_ But why was it so hard to be seductive? God, memorizing Potion formulas were easier than this. At least they didn't involve trying to learn ways to seduce the opposite gender.

'I can't do this, Bex.' She groaned.

'Keep trying! Relax, all right, and think of it slowly. A tip is to move your lower lip to the side so your teeth can get better access to it. All right, I know I don't sound like I'm making sense but this is as good as it can get over the phone.'

Hermione tried the tip and found that it did work. But only slightly. Annoyed, she kept biting her lip until she realized she had just drawn blood.

'Crap.' She fished around her dresser, looking for a tissue. She pressed it onto her lip, before removing it. Great, now she looked liked a clown with a bloody swollen lower lip. She tried to pout again to see if it would affect the only mouth antic she can do, before realizing the swollen lip made the pout look for effortless. She grinned; every cloud has a silver lining.

'Hermione?' Bex's voice broke through her happy thoughts.

'Oh right, sorry, I drew some blood because I had bitten too hard.' Hermione apologized.

'That's all right; it'd make the lip look pouty anyway. Now, strike a pose. One that you think would get him wobbly-kneed.'

'Wobbly-kneed?' Hermione wondered for a second.

'Yeah, like the, I-want-you-to-ravish-me-right-now sort of way.' Bex said.

'Well, uh,' Hermione thought for a moment, before remembered the brief glimpse she had seen when Ron and Harry had tried to hide their stash of dirty magazines away from her.

She turned her knees inwards and bended forward, arching her back so that her bum stuck out while showing an uncomfortable amount of cleavage. Her hands looked awkward. _Oh right_, she remembered and placed them daintily on her knees, pouting at the same moment. She spoke into the phone that was now wedged between her ear and shoulder.

'How about if I lean in a bit?'

'Hands on knees, and definitely bend your knees in, because it's like saying 'Come get me if you want it'.' Bex sang gaily.

'Yeah, that's what I'm doing right now.' Hermione laughed.

'My, I guess there is something in you then! Well, that's all you need to know about giving reward sex. And my advice is to give lots and lots of head. This Brazilian guy I got together once with told me he liked it when I licked his—'

'All right! Too much information, Bex!' Hermione halted her friend's chatter. 'But, thanks, you've been a great help. Coffee sometime soon?'

'Bet on it.' Bex laughed and hung up.

She placed a hand on her hip and leaned onto her left leg, lifting her chin at the same moment, trying to envision how Draco would look at her when he saw this pose. Possibly drop dead to his knees and beg for her to strip off her clothes and she'll do it so painfully slow Draco would do it for her and they'd make hot passionate sex on the floor right there and then.

_Or maybe, he'd just piss his pants laughing._

Hermione groaned as she scolded herself for being so pessimistic. She had quite an okay-figure, and she knew her looks weren't superlative, but she wasn't your Plain Jane either. If she had dolled up a bit like she had for the Yule Ball she was certain she could pass for a moderately sexy young woman. Besides,she had help from Bex!

'All right then,' Hermione nodded to her reflection, as if the movement helped to calm her nerves somehow. She made a slow 360-turn to double check that the teddy fitted on well before slipping out of the room. She turned the doorknob of Draco's room door slowly, hoping to God the door wouldn't creak or that she'd bang her toe on something, giving her presence away. This was one surprise she was determined not to ruin for Draco.

But when she peeked through the slightly ajar door, she realized her secrecy wasn't needed; Draco was fast asleep on his bed, with his chest heaving slowly. She tiptoed across the room and gently laid herself beside him, careful not to disturb him.

She studied him quietly, loving the way his lips seemed to luscious for a man, loving how angelic he looked when he was asleep; face totally at ease, something that was hard to come by when he was conscious. Her hand hovered a hair's width over his face as she traced his features carefully, following the contour of his upper lip, before skimming the tip of his nose, brushing his eyebrows and down his cheek. _A girl can really just have an orgasm just looking at his face, _Hermione thought with a soft sigh. It was so unfair that his eyelashes were long and thick whereas she had to apply layers of mascara to achieve it. Neither was it fair that he had been blessed with high cheekbones. Draco would look great as a female too, no doubt.

'Enjoying yourself?' Draco enquired without opening his eyes, startling Hermione.

_Oh great, now it's going to be really awkward to explain to him why I'm on his bed, tracing his face contours dressed only in a scanty teddy. I'm guessing the 'I happened to pass by' excuse wouldn't work under such circumstances..._

'I er...' Hermione stuttered, feeling her cheeks rise in temperature. She felt herself blush even more when she saw a smirk on Draco's face, and she knew he could tell that she was blushing even without opened his eyes because this was just _so_ like her goody-two-shoes self; blushing about every ridiculously trivial matter. The thought caused her to blush even more, if that were possible; she was already blushing the Weasley red colour.

'Hm...?' Draco's voice was mock-taunting but it pissed Hermione off anyway. Did he think she was such a shy and modest girl that she wouldn't do something as outrageous as this? She was the one who had initiated that they shagged in the library in the first place, wasn't she? Besides, she had just gotten training from _Bex_, the renowned sex cat among her circle of friends. What more does she need?

With a new motivation, she shifted herself so she was directly hovering over Draco, keeping his waist between her legs. She kissed both of his eyes.

'Keep your eyes closed, Draco,' she said in a tone of voice she had never known she had before. _I guess it comes naturally_, she thought with a pleased smile.

'What are you planning...?' Draco inquired, opening his right eye but Hermione was quick enough to cover both of his eyes with her hands.

'Don't ruin the surprise, or I'll never do it again.' She warned as she gave a little nibble at his lip.

An amused smile played on Draco's lips. 'All right then, lead the way.' He finally said.

'I'm going to release your eyes all right, but don't you dare open them.' Hermione warned. She stepped back, before conjuring a couple of ropes and a blindfold, tying it around Draco's head just in case he opened his eyes. She then proceeded to tie his hands behind his back, much to his protest, which she promptly shut him up by kissing him briefly.

She set him back comfortably against the pillows, before stepping back, muttering the spell to lift the blindfold. She restrained the need from biting her lip nervously because she was supposed to portray a 'confident vibe', she supposed. So instead, she placed a hand on her hip and asked, 'Like what you see?'

Draco's eyebrows disappeared to under his bangs, apparently surprised at how un-Hermione-like Hermione was being. He ran his eyes over her porcelain milky skin for the last time before replying teasingly, 'And if I said no?'

'Well then, that's very sad,' Hermione replied, keeping her cool demeanor, kneeling on the very edge of her bed. She skimmed her forearm with a finger, making elaborate designs. 'I got all dressed up for you, you know.'

'Really, but where did you get that from?' Draco asked, seemingly amused again.

'Oh, this old thing?' Hermione picked the strap of the teddy, peeling it down slowly. 'I've had it for _ages_.'

'And you've never worn it?' Draco inquired in such a tone that you would have thought he was merely asking about the weather.

'Oh, no, I've worn it for many guys before, but you seem to be the only one who's not interested,' Hermione gave a little pout.

'Many guys?' Draco was really amused now. He gave a low, throaty chuckle.

'Oh, yes, many. The old men from pubs,' Hermione gave a little wink before scooting a tad closer, making Draco finally understand the saying of 'So close yet so far.' God, he was aching to touch her.

'Really? I didn't peg you for the type,' Draco managed, in a thick voice. He had to stop running his eyes over her body; his body was responding far more quicker than he had expected and the strain that it had placed from the constriction of his pants is making him feel_very_ uncomfortable. To make matters worse, Hermione scooted even closer now, so they were directly eye-to-eye.

'Then what type do you peg me for?' Hermione asked innocently, seemingly unaware of the bulging tent in Draco's pants. She ran a finger over Draco's lips, down his neck and over his collarbone.

'The—the modest type?' Draco said, though it came out like a question. Never had he felt so helpless at the hands of a woman. He really was trying to think in a clear mind but Hermione's finger was now slipping under his shirt, lightly pinching at places.

'But Draco, if I were modest, I wouldn't be doing this would I?' she placed her other hand on his crotch, patting it suggestively. Draco was practically screaming in his mind for her to just take the damned pants off already.

'N-, no, guess not.' Draco managed.

'Of course not.' Hermione agreed as she removed both hands and grabbed Draco's face before kissing him roughly, pushing him down while he tried to maneuver himself according to the way her body was moving without the help of his hands. Hermione bit his lip before drawing back, pulling in ragged breaths, much to Draco's disappointment.

Without another word, she unbuttoned his shirt slowly, pulling it open, before working on his buckle and the waistband of his boxers, which she swiftly discarded. She gazed on in admiration as Draco lay beneath her only clothed in an unbuttoned shirt, hair slightly messy from Hermione's fingers. She massaged his chest slowly, smiling in satisfaction when she discovered that Draco's nipples were clearly sensitive. Draco arched his back as she squeezed it again.

'Who are you, and what did you do to my girlfriend?' Draco asked. But Hermione only laughed. She lowered her lips to his again, this time kissing him much more softly and delicately, treating him like fragile porcelain, giving him feather-light caresses on his face and arm. It came as a surprise when her hand suddenly dropped to his manhood, giving a light tug. He moaned into Hermione's mouth, whose tongue was lapping up his. God, if he could just release his hands he would have torn the teddy off of her body already. Feeling her through that delicate silk only reminded him of how she was still fully clothed.

Hermione pulled back, but her hands continued to work, much to Draco's glee. If Hermione were to release now, he was certain he'd die. He arched his lower back, trying to make her go faster.

'Patience, Draco,' Hermione reprimanded, giving him a light bite on his chest, turning her tempo to a much slower pace, almost driving Draco crazy with need.

'Just go faster, dammit.' Draco breathed.

'Ah ah ah, language, Mr. Malfoy.' Hermione did such a good imitation of Professor McGonagall.

Draco opened his eyes, trying to give her a glare but for once he felt like it was impossible to do anything but stay in this position forever. He decided to do one thing he'd never thought he'd do when he was conscious and without the insane need to touch Hermione: beg.

'_Please_?'

Hermione tried to bite down her triumphant smile when she heard Draco utter the word she never thought she'd hear. Well, she did hear it once. But _only_ once. She also knew she failed miserably in keeping that smile down.

'Well, since you _begged_ so nicely,' Hermione gave a smile, much to Draco's annoyance but the annoyance disppeared totally as she began to pump faster and she started to experiment on how Draco would react to some of her hand movements. Apparently he liked it when she did a little twist rub, but he liked it better if she gently scraped her pinky nail at the spot just between his testicles.

Draco was lost in his own world of exploding stars and many graphical images of what Hermione could do with that teddy she was wearing that he didn't even notice that he was that close to coming until he erupted all over Hermione's hand and the covers.

'Merlin Draco, could have given me a bit of a warning first!' Hermione laughed, exceptionally pleased that she could make Draco lose control over himself without even taking off her clothes.

'Didn't realize it,' Draco managed in between drawing breaths, trying to get himself over the high he always felt after an orgasm. Hermione admired the way the sweat slicked onto his heaving chest, which was still trying to regain the normal pace of his heartbeat and breath. She leaned forward to kiss his nose.

'Well, maybe next time you will,' Hermione laughed. Draco narrowed his eyes at her.

'What brought on the sudden bipolar antics?' He asked, possibly thinking that Hermione had a huge favor to ask of him. Hermione tutted,_Slytherins and their cynicism._

'Why, I only came to reward you for being such a good boyfriend over the past few days, Draco, but if you think that I'm only here for something, then so be it,' Hermione huffed in superb-mock-annoyance as she scooted off the bed. She was about to reach the door when she heard Draco say:

'But if you want to reward me, there's only one little glitch.'

She turned slowly, fighting the triumphant grin that was once again working its way onto her face. Only this time she kept it at bay.

'And what would that be?' she asked in perfect imitation of his usual drawl and eyebrow lifting.

Draco gave a wicked grin as he laid back onto the pillows, displaying his body for her likes once again.

'You're still wearing that teddy.'

**A/N: Okay, I know, this is a long-awaited one, but really, don't kill me! School just started again and it's gotten really hectic!**


	7. Chapter 7: Dinner with Dear Ol' Lil

Hermione grinned and stalked towards Draco, settling in front of him and making sure that he felt comfortable between her legs and began kissing him again. First it came as a sweet, delicate kiss, akin to a first kiss, but when Draco drove his hips into hers she felt renewed lust and began kissing him almost savagely, clawing at his chest, tangling her fingers in his hair.

She trailed his jaw line gingerly with her lips, kissing the bite mark she had caused lightly before traveling down south, making sure to give ample attention to both of his nipples. She was about to lower her mouth to Draco's shaft when he made a strangled noise, halting her.

'Off with that damned teddy,' he snarled, poking her silk-clad bum with his toe for emphasis.

Hermione grinned and peeled off each strap with deliberate slowness, taking in every expression of Draco's as his eyes showed how eager he was for her to be just in the same, nude state as he was. She shimmied out of the rest of the teddy, before lowering herself on Draco.

'I want me in you, and I want it now,' Draco whispered as he fought back a moan, as she nibbled on his neck.

'But we're still having so much fun,' Hermione murmured against his neck, giving him a light kiss.

Draco said nothing more, but he bucked his hips to meet Hermione's again, pressing his full hard-on against her. Hermione gasped, but made no further movement to do anything about Draco's growing need.

She prolonged every bite, every touch, knowing that Draco felt torn between two feelings: impatient with lust or savoring every slow, languid movement Hermione was doing with her tongue and hands.

Draco kept beckoning for Hermione to just shove him in her already –God, if this was Hermione's idea of torture, Draco would be sure to die soon—but all Hermione did was ignore his groans and hip bucks and just continue her slow process with her journey down south. If only he could reach his wand and sever these stupid ropes, he'd flip her over and fuck her in a flash. _If only_.

Hermione suddenly halted her journey and straddled Draco yet again. Draco wanted to cry out in joy. _Finally!_ She positioned his tip at her opening, and lowered herself carefully, and their moans became a symphony. Hermione was doing it so slowly it was almost painful but Draco felt immense relief in being enveloped by her. He threw his head back and started to buck his hips to meet her every wild thrust. Hermione didn't seem to have a clue to what she was doing but it was fine with Draco; the feeling was great. He peeked a look at Hermione, who looked close to screaming as she rode Draco.

Draco sensed her tightening a bit too late and her orgasm caught him unaware but the sudden feeling of warmth triggered his release as well. Draco went limp as soon as he finished and Hermione was draped across his chest, and the only sounds that were heard were their heavy breathing.

'That was the most mind fucking blowing thing you've ever done,' he stated hoarsely.

'I know.' Hermione said, and he could hear the smile in her voice.

'What brought it on?' Draco wanted to know.

'It's a reward.' Hermione stated simply.

'In that case, if I compliment Anna on her earrings later, can I swing by around your room at about twelve?'

Draco sounded so hopeful Hermione had to laugh. She lifted herself off of him, and laid on him, pressing their chests together, while she traced his Adam's apple lightly.

'You should thank Bex, she gave me some sort of tutorial just now.'

'What, did you experiment with her?'

'God, no.' Hermione laughed. 'But then again, I didn't use most of it. But she did tell me to wear this.' She lifted the discarded teddy.

'And you look hot in it, but remind me to get one in green for you.' Draco tutted.

'You and your Slytherin ant—Do you hear that?' Hermione lifted herself off of him, listening earnestly. Draco strained his ears but heard nothing, and was just about to laugh at her silliness before he heard it. They froze, their eyes meeting, wide with panic.

'Shit, Mom and Dad are home early!' Hermione jumped off of him and grabbed her wand, cleaning up their mess and kicking the teddy under the bed so fast that she was a blur even to Draco's eyes. She was about to run out of the room before Draco halted her.

'I'm still bounded, Hermione.'

'Oh, right.' Hermione shot a spell at his hands before dashing off to her room, presumably to put on clothes. Draco buttoned his shirt again, and wore his clothes, grinning as he fingered the bite from Hermione. God knew how she loved to bite.

Just a moment after he placed himself in the bed, pretending to be asleep, he heard footsteps outside of his door, and then he heard the door open slowly.

'Should we wake him?' he heard Anna ask in a hushed whisper.

'I think now, Anne, best to let the boy sleep for a bit more. If Mother wants to be grueling, she can, and by the looks of it, Draco's going to need a lot more energy to deal with _her_.' Will replied in the same volume.

Draco waited until he heard the door close softly before opening his eyes, frowning as he did so. _Lily's coming?_ And what other load of rubbish did she feed Will and Anna on her opinion of Draco? And did Will and Anna believe her? What if they—

'What on earth am I thinking?' Draco muttered to himself, before sitting straight in his bed.

He conjured a mirror and stared at his reflection long and hard. 'You, Draco Malfoy,' he said in the best replica of his Father's sternest tone, 'are the heir of the many Malfoys in the past, and you are _not_ to replay 'what if's scenarios in that gorgeous head of yours; neither are you going to be unnerved by some seventy-odd year old woman, Hermione's favourite Grandmother or not. You are going to put on your most charming behavior and prove to _her_ that you and Hermione make the perfect couple and even if she didn't think so, she wouldn't be able to talk about it because _you_ won't give her the chance to. Of course, you'll do it as politely as you can.'

It wasn't like the pep talks Blaise used to give him, but it was the best he could do. He made a mental note to send a letter to Blaise as soon as Bardeus came back from the flight.

Draco walked off the bed and picked through the many clothes of muted colours that Anna had hung on hangers for him last night. _Bless that woman, for being the average working mom. And for spawning Hermione._

He decided on a forest green button up with his usual black trousers. Fastening the cuff links that his Mother had sent to him last year, he strolled out of his room, but not before casting the wandless spell on his hair so as to keep it from falling into his eyes.

'Oh, you're awake!' Hermione feigned surprise when she saw Draco descend from the stairs. Lily wasn't there yet, Draco noted with glee.

'I must have fallen asleep,' Draco said. 'Hello Will.' He nodded to Anna. 'Anna.' They remained in silence while Draco waited for them to inform him of Lily's soon arrival for dinner. He, after all, was supposedly asleep when they'd discussed it at his door.

'Draco, Gran's coming to dinner!' Hermione bounced with excitement as Draco took a seat beside her on the loveseat.

'Lovely,' Draco gave a cleverly concealed smile to Hermione.

'Isn't it wonderful? A dinner with my family.' Hermione gushed, obviously ignorant of Draco's undertones of disapproval.

'Of course it is, sweetheart.' Draco assured her, squeezing her hand to prove his 'point'. He could practically see Anna melt at the sweetness of the love they were displaying now. _Ha! This will show Lily how perfect we are for each other_.

'So what time is she coming?' Draco inquired casually.

'Oh, in about half an hour, I suppose,' Hermione said, checking the grandfather clock that nested beside the fireplace. Draco noted that Hermione had changed to a simple black dress for the occasion. If Lily meant _that_ much to her, Draco was going to have to be a _lot_ more discreet in his signs of saying 'Back off'. If it was anything Hermione could catch in Draco, it would be his undertones of sarcasm and superior acts of authority. This was one of the rare moments when Draco wished Hermione were a bit more oblivious, like Potter, or maybe Weasley.

'So, Draco, how's your mother?' Anna inquired politely as she worked at expertly chopping some parsley.

'I haven't gotten a reply yet, I only sent my owl to her today and he might be unfamiliar with the routes.' Draco explained.

Anna gave a light laugh. 'With things like the Internet, I think the Wizarding community should consider using some of our inventions, for a change.'

Draco fought back the retort that wizards have most probably ventured to many places and times that Muggles haven't before with their sticks of wood called _wands_, and instead, replied by chuckling along with her. He gained a smile from Hermione, who obviously held her breath while Draco had been silent for a split second before chuckling. Draco took Hermione's hand and squeezed. _If she knew anything about her darling boyfriend, it's that I can be even more charming than Prince Theo the Third if I want to_.

Draco straightened yet again as he gave another subtle glance at the clock. It was nearly half past eight and his stomach was rumbling. Where on earth was Lily? It took almost all of his self-discipline to not eat the meal by himself; Anna's cooking skills were excellent, to say the least, and he was being driven insane at the mere smell of it.

Hermione seemed to sense his discomfort as he usually had house elves to whip up a small snack for him at the Manor and had never needed to _starve_ like a middle-class boy with no house elf, and placed a hand on his thigh, squeezing it a bit more suggestively than she should have, while giving him a smile. Bookworm or not, Hermione definitely knew how to make something so innocent seem almost diabolical. Sensually diabolical, that is. And by the look of the smile, she knew her effect as well.

When the bell ran, Draco thought he'd have blasted the door open so that Lily could come in and they could all eat. He might have just done that, if it weren't for the fact that he had left his wand upstairs.

'Hermione, dear!' Lily embraced Hermione. _Oh please,_ Draco scoffed_, you've only not seen her for a few days._

'Will, getting a bit rounder now, don't you think?' she asked, poking Will's belly. She turned to Anna. 'Anna, dear, the food smells great.' Her gaze settled on Draco. 'Ah, Draco, the sherry boy. Come give me a hug.' She opened her arms. Draco walked towards her without hesitation, although he was wary of what she might do. Try to trip him by sticking out her foot at the last moment, perhaps. Amateur tactics, he knew, but for a woman of her age, Draco couldn't expect more.

Draco accepted her hug, nonetheless, although he thought she might have pierced a hole through his shirt with those stupid nails of hers. They sat at the table, said their grace, and started on the feast. Lily gave him a stern glare when he was just about to slide his hand over Hermione's thigh, where it had been resting for the entire meal, to somewhere a bit more... intimate. Draco cursed the woman for her eyes that were as sharp as a hawk's and removed his hand, not willing to be exposed by her.

'So, Draco, what sort of a family is the Malfoys?' Lily quipped.

The fork that Draco's mouth was supposed to close over froze mid-way in his mouth. No one had ever asked him that question before. Not even in the Wizarding worlds. Which only proves his point of how weird Muggles' train of thoughts were. Realizing he probably looked ridiculous with a fork halfway in his mouth, he closed his lips over it and savored the food for a moment longer than usual, thinking of ways to paraphrase the truth into a much nicer sounding 'truth'.

'Draco?' Hermione peered at him over her wine glass. Her eyes questioned the same question that was going on in his head as well.

'The Malfoys are a very old family. One of the last pureblood families in the world. So you can imagine what my family is like. Stiff. Cold. Prim and proper.' Draco offered slowly, leaving out any details of how his punishments were, or how his father treated his subordinates, or how Draco often treated people whom he considered 'not of his class'.

'Unless you count Dil, she's a whole different story.' Draco continued. He took a casual sip of the wine and swirled it around his tongue before swallowing it. 'She's my sister, but she rarely makes a public appearance with my family, if she ever attends any of the events that my Father requests both our appearance at. She's more of the wild child.'

'And so you isolate her from your family for that?' Lily asked, an accusation building in her head already.

'No, not at all. Dil doesn't believe in the 'pureblood is the better class' motto of the pureblood families. Father and her rarely see eye-to-eye and so Father tries to keep her... escapades, hushed up, rather. She, however, distances herself from Father. But her relationship with Mother and I are of course, unaffected.' Draco explained without missing a beat. His eyes reflected satisfaction._Let's see you question that, Lily_.

'So if your Father is such a person... how about you, Draco, what are _you_ like?' Lily asked, her tone indicating an innocent, curious question but please, Draco's life revolved around deceit and backstabbing; he'd know an undertone of 'Let's make you fuck up this one' when he heard it.

'I'm glad to say most of Father's behavior hasn't rubbed off of me. I am his son, though; after all, so a few habits are picked up along the way. I grew up with mostly my Mother playing both the Father and Mother role, with Dil being the painful stab of how harsh reality is. I grew up having to fend for myself in both school and social events. I think I'm all right to say that I'm independent.'

'And most certainly not humble.' Lily stated.

'Excuse me?'

'You know the way you carry yourself better than I do, Draco, and don't you tell me that you don't show off your freakishly good looks and the way you seem to hold a mysterious authority over everyone. Don't think just because I'm a Muggle that I don't know anything about the Wizarding world. I _do_know bits and pieces of it and one thing that I know for sure is that the Malfoys are certainly _never_ humble. They're the most pompous brutes that I've ever seen, especially that Father of yours. Lucius Malfoy, was it not? I heard about the incident of the reporter who wrote an article, commenting on his work tactics; she showed up to work the next day muttering nonsensically while sporting bruises.' Lily informed them, and Anna's face mirrored an expression of shock.

'Father would never resort of plebian tactics of revenge.' Draco stated simply.

'So what does he do exactly?' Lily wanted to know, 'A spawn by Eleanor Malfoy; he must be more than cold and ruthless.'

Draco didn't show his surprise, but he definitely wanted to shake the woman and demand her source of information. Many people knew of the current generation of Malfoys, but little knew about the previous; Arnan and Eleanor Malfoy. _How the fuck did a Muggle like Lily find out?_

Draco opened his mouth to reply but Hermione stood up abruptly, holding up the basket of bread between Lily and Draco, as if trying to disengage the glare Lily was giving Draco now. 'More bread?'

'No, Hermione, I think I'd like to take a walk.' Draco's voice was steely and cold, much like his voice towards her before when they were still in school. He stood up smoothly, nodding to Anna and Will, who looked perplexed, 'Thank you for the dinner,' met Hermione's eye, before walking out of the door.

All eyes were on Lily's, while she innocently drank a sip of her wine.

'Now, let's start the dinner properly, shall we?' Lily suggested brightly.

* * *

'Fuck that imbecile... old woman... grotty thing...' Draco cursed under his breath as he walked around aimlessly along the pavements. He shoved his hands into his pockets, cursing himself for not grabbing his jacket. Or his wand. No, bad idea, if he had his wand he might have hexed Lily 'accidentally'. 

_I shouldn't have left the dinner; it only goes to show who's the victor. God Draco, where'd the man in you go? Did Blaise's taunts go for nothing? What about those utterly fucked up Crucio-Enduring lessons by Father? What happened to those? You're disarmed just by a few words from a woman? One who's supposed to have gone dotty with age? What the fuck, Malfoy, pull yourself together! Pull yourself—_

_Crack!_

Draco looked up and stopped dead in his tracks. That was _definitely_ a sound of Apparation. And here he was, Draco _Malfoy,_son of Lucius_Malfoy_, whose enemies outnumber his number of allies, standing _alone_ on a pavement without his _fucking_ wand. Father once warned him about his enemies; who might try to take revenge on Draco to hurt Lucius. Draco merely laughed at that warning. Now he was really wishing he hadn't left his wand back there.

He felt a light tap on his shoulder.

'Malfoy!'

Draco turned around and delivered a punch directly at the nose of the person. _Try to mug me, now eh? Imbecile—_

'Zabini!' Draco recognized the jet black mess of hair and the coffee-colored skin a second too late when the figure fell to the floor, vulgarities streaming from his mouth. Draco immediately bent down to help him up, only to have Potter appear a second later, who immediately started yelling at Draco.

'What the fuck did you do to Blaise?'

'I swear, I thought he was a mugger, so if you'd like to be of any help now, feel free to shut up and help me lift him instead.' Draco replied as he hauled Blaise up. Potter immediately ran to Blaise's other side and brushed away the blood that was dripping from Blaise's nose.

'Blaise, are you all right?'

'Fine, no bloody thanks to Draco.' Blaise said, shaking his head slightly, as if it'd help the bleeding to stop.

'Here, I'll fix you up,' Harry raised his wand, but Blaise took out his own and stopped Harry just in time.

'Harry, love, I'd still like to have a nose.'

Draco didn't bother to stifle his chuckle, gaining a glare from a pair of emerald eyes.

After Blaise completed his healing spell, he conjured a mirror to check his appearance.

'Still as vain, Zabini?'

'Still as vile, Malfoy?' They grinned, sharing a mutual bond.

'Gentlemen, I'd really prefer a bar or something than standing out in the cold.' Potter reminded them.

'Tsk, Potter, still as week as a newborn baby,' Draco tutted, 'come along then.'

He led the way to a café he had passed on his way here, charming the waitress more than he should for a private booth.

'Er, Malfoy, where's Hermione?' Potter asked uncertainly. Draco raised his eyebrows. Perhaps Potter still harbored a fear of Draco shipping Hermione off to Thailand at the chance he got.

'Off in Thailand.' Came Draco's reply. Harry's knuckled visibly tightened and the vein in his forehead could be seen. Only when Blaise laughed he realized that Draco was joking.

'Bastard,' he muttered under his breath.

'Come on, Potter, do you really think I'll send Hermione off to some godforsaken place crawling with transvestites?' Draco wanted to know. Not waiting for an answer, he asked, 'so what are you doing here?'

'Harry said he got bored of Fulham, and wanted to visit Hermione. I reckon he just wanted to see if she was still alive.' Blaise added in a whisper.

'I did not—' Harry elbowed Blaise, who ducked it.

'Ah ah ah,' Blaise waggled a disapproving finger at Harry. 'No telling lies, Harry.'

'This is so intoxicatingly disgusting,' Draco quipped as he sipped his Muggle beverage.

'Anyway, dear Harry here couldn't remember the exact location, but when I saw your familiar blond head, I tapped you on the shoulder, only to receive a sock on the nose,' Blaise glared accusingly at Draco.

'I was without a wand. That was my first reflex!' Draco insisted.

'Yeah, well, where _is_ our darling Hermione?' Blaise inquired lazily as he wrapped an arm around Potter and snuggled into his neck.

'Her bitch of a Grandmother came over for dinner...' Draco related the incident to them. Truth to be told, he was feeling disdain that Potter had to witness this but he was too overwhelmed by the feeling of having an ally yet again to care. Besides, he could always ask Blaise to get Potter insane with passion until he forgets it. It was a win-win-win situation.

'Hermione's told me loads of her Grandmother before; she sounded nice.' Potter pointed out stupidly.

'Of course, Potter, do you think Hermione'd grow up in a family with a deranged Grandmother?' Draco asked. He paused for a moment, 'All right, Lily _is_ deranged, but she's only deranged to _me_.'

'Tough luck, Drake,' Blaise offered an easy smile, which almost caused Draco to throw a packet of sugar at him.

'But how does Lily know so much about the Wizarding World? She's a Muggle, isn't she? Before the age of 11, I didn't even know magic existed!' Harry pointed out.

'And that's your loss,' Draco stated. His brow furrowed.

'Perhaps she has a Wizard friend.' Potter suggested

'I don't think wizards go around associating with Muggles, let alone announce that they're wizards to them.' Draco stated with an exaggerated eye roll. How could Blaise stand this epitome of infernal purity and child-like innocence? It was too much goodness for a true Slytherin-to-the-core person, like him.

'Some wizards make mistakes,' Potter reminded him. Draco settled his gaze on Potter and glared at him, while Potter stared back with the same intensity but yet he was able to exude goodness out of every pore as he did so. Was it _ever_ possible to make Potter look bad?

'Now now, Draco, play nice!' Blaise reprimanded as he ran his fingers through Potter's hair, trying to get it tamed.

_Guess not._

Draco exhaled sharply. If Blaise was going to visit him with Potter by his side like some lost sheep that needs constant tending to, Draco would rather Blaise not visit him at all. Since when did they ever submit and wait on their girlfriends? Or in this case, the _boyfriend_? Guess love does change people.

'Hermione would be wondering where I've gone to. I should be getting back.' Draco stood up to leave and pulled out a crisp £10 bill and left it on the table. Without another word, he stalked out of the café.

He hadn't made more than 3 steps before he heard Blaise yell his name after him.

'Malfoy!'

Draco turned around and tapped his foot impatiently as Blaise walked up to him.

'Don't look like the impatient bastard I know you're acting as,' Blaise shook his head reprovingly. Despite being told on what to do, Draco couldn't stop the tiny smile that tugged on his lips. Perhaps his old friend really was just hiding somewhere under that Potter-loving armor.

'Don't you have an infant to tend to?' Draco asked, seemingly bored.

'Harry's not a child,' Blaise corrected him. 'You, however, are acting like one. A jealous one at that. What, did Draco Malfoy actually miss his dear old friend?'

'No, I was merely thinking of Hermione being worried sick about me,' Draco responded indignantly.

'Ah, I see, well then, I shouldn't hold you up, bye then.' Blaise turned and walked back to the café. Draco stared after him, mouth agape for a split second. Fine, if Blaise was going to let Potter get between their friendship, then so be it. Who was looking forward to cursing Lily behind her back with him over a few Muggle concoctions anyway? Not him, that's who.

Draco spun on his heel and turned to walk away.

'Hey Malfoy, tomorrow I'll meet you at that pub just across the street at 11.' Blaise's rich voice called out. Draco didn't turn his head back but he couldn't stop the smile from spreading over his face.

_A/N: Okay, I know, you're all just about to kill me for taking so long but between tests, homework and dance, I have almost no time for myself, let alone Fanfic! So I tried to make this a tad longer than usual. About a thousand words longer. Sorry and sorry to the nth time!_


	8. Chapter 8

Hermione tried to ignore the screams her conscience was giving for her to follow Draco. She stared after him, long after the door slammed shut, and she could no longer hear his feet stomping on the gravel while he stalked off.

'Hermione, dear, pass the butter for dear old Gran eh?'

Hermione turned to her Grandmother, straining to keep her voice even. She loved her Gran and all, but that was certainly no way to treat Draco, somebody she loved dearly.

'Why did you do that for, Gran?' She kept her gaze steady on Lily's, whose eyes immediately turned into shock.

'What sort of way is that for a girl to talk to her Grandmother?' Lily reprimanded.

'Gran, you know you went too far with that. I told you no such thing about Draco's intimate family details; even I don't know what are Draco's Grandparents' names. You have no right to make them up and insult him as you go along.' Hermione's voice trembled as she fought to keep her emotions in check.

Draco had just gone out without a wand for Merlin's sake! True, her street was safe at night, but he was the spawn of Lucius Malfoy. Lucius was vicious enough to have earned enough enemies; some who might think getting revenge on the younger Malfoy was the same as getting revenge on the older one. _Did I forget to mention he was without his bloody wand?_

'I did not make up anything that I've said, Hermione. Or he would have denied it. It is true his Grandmother's name is Eleanor, and she married a bumbling elite called Arnan Malfoy; and don't you dare deny that the reporter showed up horribly bruised along with a completely cuckoo mind; it was in the news as well. I'm sure you're an avid reader of the _Daily Prophet_?' Lily inquired, giving Hermione a knowing look.

'The_Daily Prophet_ is rubbish, ever since the Ministry's invasion of it. And yes, I am certain only someone as vile as Lucius Malfoy could have no qualms about screwing with someone's mind but I do know that Draco is nothing like his Father. I've already explained it to Mom and Dad, and shouldn't we always give someone a chance to redeem themselves?' Hermione's voice got high-pitched, and she knew her face was getting red, like it always does when she gets too agitated.

'Hermione, dear, of course we should, but messing around with a Malfoy...' Lily made a tsking sound and shook her head reprovingly, 'not the best idea you've had. But Ben on the other hand...'

_How dare she tell me what to do? It's not like I'm 5 or anything, I've got a mind of my own, thank you!_ Hermione stood up abruptly from her chair and exploded.

'What do you know about the Malfoys? What is exactly that they've done so much to you that you won't give somebody by the Malfoy name another chance? What do you know about Draco so much? Besides the tales that I've told you? What, Gran, what exactly is it? He's shared with you his sherry, and that's about the most of the interaction that the both of you had had!' Hermione took a breath to steady herself and ignored the wary looks her parents were giving. This must have been the biggest outburst she's had. 'How dare you tell me who to love and not love? Who cares about Ben? I only look upon him as my brother! Do you know what I went through in my last year? I almost killed myself! If it wasn't for Draco, would you still be sitting here happily, picking on my boyfriend, with me to reprimand? If it wasn't for Draco, I wouldn't even be here anymore!' Hermione shut her mouth, before realizing she had said too much. She had never planned on telling her parents about her near-death experience with Harry and Ron, let alone telling them about her suicide plan. _Damn._

'I'll be in my room. I'd rather not be disturbed.'

With a defiant turn, she headed up the stairs and slammed the door to her bedroom shut.

'Mother...' Will gave her a reproving glance.

'What, Will? Tell me exactly what you were going to say, because I was only looking out for the interests of my only Granddaughter. If you're going to scold me for that, I have nothing else to say.' Lily fired. Will heaved the sigh he'd been trying to hold in since Lily started pinpointing on Draco and cradled his head in his hands.

_How dare she indicate that I'm some weakling? Like when I was 5 and Cousin Tracey pushed me into the icy lake and I didn't dare to say anything until Cousin Dave stood up and told them the truth? I've changed completely from then on, haven't I? She shouldn't have been so rude to Draco, that was completely unfair to him. He was already on his best behaviour._

And you shouldn't have yelled at her either; you should have tried to solve this diplomatically, a tiny voice nagged at her.

_Oh shut up, it's not like you didn't participate in the yelling debate either_.

Hermione collapsed on her bed in a huff and screamed into her pillow, thrashing her feet wildly. How could she have let slip that she'd almost died to her parents? Now they'll never let her go anywhere by herself anymore. _Crap, what if Mom decides to quit her job just to make sure I don't cut myself or something? Damn Hermione, you and your mouth!_

'Hermione, can I come in?' Anna asked cautiously from the other side of the door.

'No, Mom, just leave me alone,' Hermione replied and waited to hear the shuffle of Anna's feet which would indicate she's walking away, but she heard nothing. She heaved a sigh; it was apparent that Anna wasn't going to leave unless Hermione gave her a full account of things. 'All right, Mom, come in.'

Anna's head peeked through the door first, giving Hermione a wan smile. 'Dad's sending Gran home,' she informed Hermione.

'Good.'

The word tumbled out of Hermione's mouth so fast she had no time to stop it. She immediately felt a stab of guilt; she usually loved Gran's visits, however seldom they were. Anna seemed a bit shocked but she didn't say anything; instead, she sat on the foot of Hermione's bed, while Hermione hugged her pillow, absent-mindedly biting on her nails. It reminded Hermione of how many times they'd sat like this, but instead, Hermione'd be talking about something ridiculous that Harry or Ron had did, and not about her suicide escapades.

'Mom, I'm sorry.'

Anna turned to see her daughter, not looking like the brave 18 year old she knew, but yet the vulnerable girl Anna knew when she was 5. Hermione looked so upset; so afraid that she had destroyed every bit of trust her parents had built up with her, that Anna had to reach out to tuck Hermione's stray hair behind her ear to assure her the trust was still there; if not bruised.

Hermione sank into her mother's hand, rubbing her cheek against her hand for a moment. She took a breath to steady herself.

'I suppose you want the truth.' Hermione stated the obvious.

'Well, the truth would be nice,' Anna agreed. Hermione mustered a wry smile.

'Draco and I were never friends, as you'd know. Never ever had we exchanged pleasantries, and it was always insults between us. But when Ron started going out with Lavender... He broke my heart. Dearly. And finally, the last straw came when he insulted my dignity, when he was the one snogging Lavender on every corner in Hogwarts!

'I ran. I ran into the Forbidden Forest; all students were not allowed to go in there due to the beasts it sheltered, but I'd lost all sense of reason at the moment. I tripped and didn't bother getting up; I was tired, Mom, tired of _everything_, living up to standards, living up to being part of the Golden Trio... I was tired of being... used, as some sort of, homework checker, for Harry and Ron, I was tired of being labeled the goody-two-shoe, I was tired of being the wallflower. To be honest, I didn't mind rotting at that moment into the forest floor.'

Hermione bit her lip as she saw the look of concern darken her mother's face, but she couldn't stop the tale; it was retelling itself in her brain and she couldn't help but recite them. The entire scene laid before her, yet again, like it was only yesterday this occurred. Her mother squeezed her cheek gently, silently asking her to go on. Her voice trembled as she continued.

'Draco was there, at the moment. He has this secret place of his that has an exit to the Forbidden Forest, and he saw me. He saw me yelling at the sky; the rain; everything. He saw this vulnerable side of me that no one had ever seen. But he picked me up, and brought me back to his place. He didn't sneer, he didn't laugh, he wasn't even obnoxious. I fell asleep in his arms and he let me sleep in his bed. I woke up after some time, and I found that he was sleeping beside me. We were decent, of course, he would never have done anything to me. But, we were about to argue when I recalled the incident with Ron. I broke down in front of him. I'd never meant to; hell, if I could control myself I would have never cried in front of my enemy.

'He was surprisingly gentle with me, and—well, I found comfort in him. Comfort I knew Harry was incapable of providing as he was never good with words, or showing his emotions; nor could Ginny give me any of it, she wouldn't understand since she has half the boys in school going after her. He told me many things, things that cleared up our misunderstanding. He was only trying to protect me, from his father, from everyone else. No Malfoy has ever loved a Muggleborn, like me. It's forbidden, so to speak. He had to find some way to keep his distance from me. And I suppose he thought taunts and jabs were the best to ensure I do the same. He told me he loved me ever since I punched him in the third year. He liked that I had my own backbone, and didn't rely on anybody. This is the first time anybody has ever said that to me.

'I told Harry about our relationship later on; I needed to tell somebody, keeping it a secret was driving me insane. Telling Harry was a good choice; if it was anything Harry is good at, its being loyal. But then everything started to change... Ron confronted us and was adamant that Harry and I were together. He told me he broke up with Lavender, for me. He—he told me he loved me.' Hermione choked on the words.

'I started to think differently. Maybe Ron needed somebody to love, and somebody to love him back. Maybe the somebody was _me_. There wasn't anybody else; Ron was such a different character. But Draco; Draco could get any girl he wanted. He was good-looking, he was rich, he was charismatic... And I owed Ron's family so much. So much to the extent that... I broke it off with Draco, and got together with Ron. But it was a huge mistake. I wanted to die so badly. Every movement of mine was so robotic; so dead, and I know it was as apparent to everyone else as it was to me. It's like I could stop breathing, sometimes, and I'd fall into this pit of despair. It was just horrible. And Harry was driving me nuts from confronting me; forcing me to spill the truth; that I still loved Draco, that I felt nothing for Ron besides brotherly love, that I was forcing myself to do something I didn't want to do at all! I wanted a break from it all.

'So I managed to get some pills. Pills that would put me to sleep—forever. And the saddest part was, I really went ahead to do this. I was such a coward, for not facing up to this obstacle named Ron, named his family... I could have just left him, but trying to imagine the faces of his family if they found out... I left a note, for the girls to find so they could pass it to Draco. And then I set off for a tower, where I thought nobody would find me, at least, not until they've read the letter.

'But just as I was about to swallow the entire dosage; I was swallowing them one at a time, they were just too big, Draco stopped me. He found me because Harry had read the letter before the time I'd intended for it to be found. And...' Hermione stopped herself, taking a breath to steady herself, surprised at the tears that had formed without her knowledge. She rarely thought about those times; it was just too dark for her likes.

That was all her mother needed to hear. This was the truth; the raw thing, she could accept it or leave it. Hermione willed herself to look at her mother in the eye, bracing herself for the disappointment she'd see. She was Hermione Granger, and she wasn't used to seeing disappointment being inflicted on her.

'Oh Hermione,' Anna's voice was no louder than a whisper, and her tears were pooled in her eyes. She stroked Hermione's cheek softly again, before hugging Hermione gently. 'You could have told me about this.'

'I know, Mom, and I'm sorry. I never meant to tell you and Dad, I didn't want to worry you, or anything else. I'd begged Professor McGonagall to keep this from everybody. I didn't want to disappoint you.' Hermione mumbled as she buried her nose into her mother's hair, the same hair shed come to inherit.

'Sweetheart, as long as you're doing what your heart tells you to do, you'll never disappoint me, all right?' Anna pulled away from Hermione, wiping her tears away.

Hermione nodded mutely, hugging her mother once again. She hadn't had talks like these with her mother for a long time, and it touched her. She stayed in her mother's arms for a long while, and neither of them spoke.

'Mom, could you not tell—'

'Your father will never hear this from me, Hermione.' Anna assured her. 'This will just be between you and me. I'll fabricate some other story for your father's liking.' Anna pulled away and wiped her own tears that had long dried on her cheeks.

'So, I shall go down now; he'd be wondering what happened to us.' Anna disentangled herself from Hermione's arms. She stroked Hermione's forehead. 'Remember what I said, all right? Forget about magic, or technology, or anything for that matter for a moment, and just do what your heart says. Ten out of ten times it's the right thing to do.' She kissed Hermione's forehead, before walking out of the room.

'Oh, Draco, we were wondering where you went,' Anna's shrill voice was a sign that she had intended for Hermione to hear it.

'Just for a walk, and I met some friends.' Draco replied curtly.

'Yes, well, I apologize, on Lily's behalf. She was being too perceptive.'

'Age fuddles the brain,' Draco pointed out, before walking off. Hermione waited for him to enter her room, but he didn't. She heard the door to his room close, instead. She exhaled, and pulled her legs to her knees, ignoring the creases in her dress. She closed her eyes, willing her brain to stop the room from spinning for a moment. How could this day escalate to something so disastrous? Her life seemed to be written like a good soap drama, unfortunately for her.

So... what would the soap's lead actress do now? She had no idea, that's for sure; she never really understood the drama in it. She shook her head; Hermione Granger—stumped?

_Oh, sod it with the soap dramas!_ She hopped off her bed and marched straight into Draco's room, preparing to bear any lashing he might give her, but her brain immediately stopped working as her eyes met Draco's. He was half naked, climbing into bed.

_Okay, so what do I say now? 'Sorry for barging in like this, I shall take my leave now?' Oh, smooth, Hermione, real smooth.  
_

For a moment, neither of them spoke. She looked around the room nervously as he massaged the bridge of his nose.

'What is it, Hermione?'

The question took Hermione by surprise. She had expected him to tell her just to leave him alone, and not 'What is it, Hermione?

'I—I wanted to see how you were doing...' Hermione stammered, 'and to apologize for Gran. She had no right—'

'The hell she had no right. But who am I to say anything? She's your Gran, and whatever she says is law. Now I'm pretty tired, Hermione, I'd like to rest now.'

'That's not true, I don't think Gran was right to—'

'I get it, Hermione.' Draco exhaled sharply.

'No, no you don't. If you did you'd know I didn't agree with her...' Hermione hated to hear the sadness in his voice; she wanted to prove to him that he was wrong; that she actually felt anger at her Gran for the first time and it was because of him.

'Yeah, Hermione, I do. Please leave me now.' His tone was curt, and Hermione felt her tears threatening to spill. Here she was, standing at his doorway, hand still on the doorknob, hair disarray, but she felt even more naked than he was, even though she was the one fully clothed.

'But I... I really didn't...'

'Leave, Hermione.' His tone made it clear he was already dismissing her, and if it wasn't enough, he flicked his wand and the lights went out, except for the bed light he had beside him.

'All right, then, I'll just leave you to it. I, uh,' she swallowed, blinking back the tears. 'Good night, Draco.'

She turned, before feeling the hot tears roll down her cheeks. He had a right to be angry at her, but didn't he know that she would have stood up for him? Didn't he know how worried she was, when he'd rushed off without a wand? Would he even care?

She'd rather him yell at her than be this tranquil, quiet Draco. It scared her; it wasn't his style to be this quiet. She hated his tone; it made her think he was disappointed in her.

_Damn you, Gran. Damn you._

* * *

'Yes, I did as what was discussed, they'd be breaking up soon, I suppose.' Lily could barely contain her glee over the phone. The way Malfoy Junior had stalked out of the room was priceless, and though she had to sacrifice her relationship with Hermione, she wasn't afraid that it wouldn't be built up again. Hermione wouldn't stay angry at her darling Gran forever; she wasn't capable of it. 

And of course, the both of them knew it.

'Perfect,' the voice on the other line cackled.

**A/N: Between the dance recitals and homework, I really don't ahve much time left for Fanfiction! The next time might take a while, I think. ):**


	9. Chapter 9: Dil

Draco stretched in bed and arched his back off the bed slightly

Draco stretched in bed and arched his back off the bed slightly. The sun was shining on his face and he could hear a bird chirping somewhere. Through the translucent curtains, he could see that today was a beautiful day.

And he hated it.

He shouldn't have acted the way he did towards Hermione last night, he knew it wasn't her fault she had a bitch for a grandmother; but his Slytherin self would definitely not allow him to just act like everything was all right when it wasn't. He was angry and hurt and he wanted Hermione to know it.

But still, she looked so heartbroken that he had gone to bed with a guilty conscience, tossing and turning, only being able to sleep at 3 in the morning.

So how was he going to face Hermione today at breakfast? Easy, he'd skip it. But then, he'd have to skip lunch and dinner altogether as well, and he, a Malfoy heir, was definitely not to be left starving just to avoid his girlfriend and her family. But what else could he do?

He heaved a huge sigh and got up slowly, blinking his eyes lazily.

'You know, people shouldn't be sighing so early in the morning; it messes up their _chakras._' An unmistakable voice said in the corner.

'Dil?' Draco whirled around so fast he thought his head might have fallen off.

'The one and only,' his female splitting image got up from the armchair in the corner of the room and opened her arms. 'So what, are you going to let me stand here all day or are you going to come hug me?'

Draco fake scoffed, 'Malfoys don't hug.' But a moment later he threw his arms around Dil, as she squeezed the air out of him.

'What are you doing here? How did you get here anyway?' Draco asked as he dislodged himself from his sister.

'I followed Bardeus, of course,' Dil pointed her chin to the owl, who hooted angrily; displeased that someone had trailed him without his knowing.

'How? Bardeus would have known you were.' Draco furrowed his brows. 'Even if you were invisible.'

'I put one of those tracking devices Muggles use on him. I was messing about in Lucius' study with a Disillusionment charm when I saw him fly through mother's window. Decided he might have a clue or two on where you were, since Mother herself didn't know, so I flicked one on him before he knew anything.' Dil petted Bardeus lightly. 'Good bird.'

Bardeus hooted angrily in response.

'But does Mother know where you are?' Draco inquired, raising an immaculate eyebrow.

'Left her a note saying I was off in Baja. Nice place, loads of topless Muggles. You should have been there with me, Drake, I'm pretty sure you would have loved it.' Dil chuckled as Bardeus failed at trying to nip her finger.

'And associate myself with Muggles? I'd rather not.' Draco wrinkled his nose in distaste. 'And not to be rude or anything, but right now I'm going through a pretty rough time with Hermione's family, or more particularly, her Grandmother, and you showing up isn't such a good idea. At least not for now.'

'Oh what happened to the warm hugs just now, Drakie?' Dil asked in mock annoyance. She flopped on his bed and flicked her nails, admiring the moving pictures on her nails for a moment. 'It's not like her Grandmother's like ours. God, _Avia_ Eleanor's just so soft and subtle, it's disconcerting, really.'

'No, really, Dil, you've got to go.' Draco urged, with a slight commanding tone in his voice.

'That bad, huh?' Dil asked, looking up at him. She stood up and planted her hands on her hips, 'I don't see how you can't handle an old batty woman.'

'That's the problem!' Draco almost yelled. 'She's old, yes, and she's definitely a woman, but she's not batty. Not one bit.' His ears perked up for a second. 'I almost forgot; she seems to have connections to our world. She knows of the infamous reporter incident involving Father. And she also knows _Avus _and _Avia's_ names. Only a few number of people in _our_ world remember, let alone know.'

Dil was silent for a while, and Draco could tell her brain-gears were whirling faster than she'd let on.

'Hmm...' Dil scrunched up her aristocratic nose.

'What?' Draco wanted to know, but Dil only shook her head.

'I'm not saying anything until I'm certain.' Dil decided. 'Hey, what do you know, I wouldn't need to stay after all!'

'B-but, you said _hmm..._! That's got to mean something!' Draco said.

'Really, Drakie, asking me to go a moment, then the next asking me to stay?' she shook her head and pinched Draco's cheek. 'You'd confuse me anytime of the day, dear brother.'

She checked her watch for a moment, doing mental calculations. 'Ah, I should be in time for lunch by the time I get back to the Manor. Elliwis is serving stew today.' Dil let out a contented sigh. 'Should I need to contact you, will you be here?'

'Yes, but Dil, I don't see why you can't—'

'Ah-ah,' Dil wagged her finger at him. 'Don't worry your head over Hermione's Grandmother and let sister Dilly take care of it eh? Write to you soon!'

And she hopped out of the window onto her broom, gone in a blur of her bright robes and silver of her broom.

Draco stared at the blank space where she was just a few moments ago, before gnashing his teeth in annoyance. He tore at his hair and collapsed onto the bed with in a fit. He checked his clock—it was only 10—and groaned yet again.

Hermione should leave the house sometime soon right? She couldn't possibly stay in the house all day long, waiting to have a talk with him. And her parents most certainly had to leave for work. So Draco only had to wait till about... 12?

'Merlin...' he muttered to himself as he sat up on his bed. What was he supposed to do for 2 bloody hours?

As if on cue, Bardeus hooted, and pointed at Draco's desk with his beak.

Grinning, Draco took the letter that rested on the desk and gave Bardeus a pat, before resting on his armchair, opening the letter. Out fell parchments—_my, Mother must be out of her mind with boredom to write this much._

He sighed as he took the first of the many pages into his hands. He didn't like his father much, if not at all, but he wished he'd spend more time with his Mother. God knows how much Narcissa craved for just a tinsy bit of Lucius' undivided, sincere, willing attention.

But as everyone knew, Lucius' time was divided into his work and womanizing. He was most probably off in Shanghai with his latest toy, while his Mother deludes herself into thinking that he was in Egypt, doing some 'ministry business'. Ministry business his arse all right, Draco could barely hold back the contempt he feels towards his Father whenever they were in the same room.

Nevertheless, maybe this was why Draco felt so inclined to be softer on his Mother. She'd always given him her all while he was growing up, so why couldn't he do the same now?

_Dear Draco, _

_Darling, you ought to know I tried my very best to stop your Father from going to the station, but you know how your Father is; once he puts his mind to it, nothing can stop him. He was bent on bringing you home with us, determined that Granger had put a strong love potion in your food to drug you. Of course, I argued with him that you were sharp enough to detect any hint of foul play around your food, but he insisted that Granger would be smart enough to twist around the obstacles. Honestly, your Father can be so cynical at times._

_Nevertheless, I hope you won't blame him; it's only normal for him to react this way. Honestly, you're his only son, and we never spent much time together after your birth, let alone have enough time to have another child. As his only child, your Father would naturally want the best for you; and well, as much as I support you, Draco dear, we all expected you to settle down nicely with Pansy Parkinson, or perhaps another nice Pureblood girl who didn't fancy screaming and shrieking as much as Ms. Parkinson did. _

_Speaking of which, Draco, that wasn't very nice, threatening her like that at the station. Her Father is very furious about it and had even paid us a visit to talk over matters. And both your father and Mr. Parkinson have very strong, different characters, as you should know. To say the least, he left the Manor a very angry man, and so did your Father. He's now in Egypt; by the way, doing some resurrection the Minister has sent him to do. Apparently they found another lost tomb of a wizard somewhere. Honestly, that has got to be the 6__th__ one this month._

_By the way, I've started my own Gardening Club with the other ladies, and I've got to say, my Keesh are growing quite beautifully. These flowers have the unique ability to enhance the intelligence of the person who drinks from its sap. I'm encouraging Mrs. Crabbe to introduce the drink to her son; Merlin knows how much Vincent needs the broth..._

The corner of Draco's mouth turned up, as he continued to read on about his Mother's reports on her club and just some random things that had happened in the Manor. Sounds like his Mother wasn't doing too badly without the presence of his Father. He wasn't at all surprised he used his job as an excuse; he had expected it. He'd grown up around his Father long enough to know the term 'a leopard never changes its spots' was practically invented for him.

Draco glanced at his clock when he finally finished reading and replying to Narcissa's letter. _Blimey that was fast_, he thought. It was already 12 and this meant he was finally a free man. The plan was for him to stay out of the house all day, and to return late. He knew avoiding Hermione wasn't going to solve anything, but it'll have to do for now.

He got up to his feet and stretched, almost whacking Bardeus, who had chosen this moment to try fly onto Draco's shoulder. Perhaps he had seen Lucius' owl do it enough times to his Father that he wanted to try it with Draco too.

'Not today, Bardeus,' Draco said, and opened the door, sauntering out.

He walked down the stairs, grabbing an apple on his way out to the door. _Technically, today _is_ a beautiful day, _he mused, _might as well make full use of it_.

Hermione sat at her dresser, staring at herself. She'd been like this since the crack of dawn. After the horrific dismissal from Draco, she hadn't really been able to sleep. She'd slipped on her dad's old shirt, the one that always made her feel better, and tried to go to sleep.

But it seemed that the shirt wasn't doing its magic—she could barely sleep. Everytime she closed her eyes Draco's voice would haunt her. '_Leave, Hermione._' He could have told her to fuck off and it wouldn't have hurt as much.

She felt herself crumble inwardly. She stood up and walked over to her shelf, pulling out a heavy tome, with the bold letters ADVANCED POTIONS VOLUME VI.

_Trying to look for a cure for your broken heart, Hermione?_

Draco strolled around the town casually, without much of a destination in mind. He was due to meet Blaise only much later that day, and had plenty of hours to spare. He still couldn't help but flinch a little everytime a Muggle got too near; he knew if he was to date Hermione he had to change this, but still, old habits die hard.

He immediately tore his thoughts away from Hermione. He didn't really want to think about her right now, there was too much to think, and he hated to remember that he was the one who had caused her so much misery in the first place. Perhaps she was thinking the same thing, and regretting ever letting him save her, which lead to where they were now. He felt a twinge somewhere in his heart as he thought about this.

'Hey-ho!' A jolly voice called out as Draco felt a small hand on his shoulder. Luckily, Draco learned from last time never to punch before looking, so he settled for turning around.

'Bex?'

**A/N: Omg am I going to be killed by all of you (if I even have any avid readers left)? I am really so sorry but I've been having writer's block. Not an excuse, seriously. It's not fun at all when I stare at the screen for an hour, trying to think of what else to write next. This chapter isn't exactly finished, but I thought I should post it up first, or I would REALLY lose all the readers. Sorry lovies, really am!**


	10. Chapter 10: Pole Dancing

'_Hey-ho_

_'Hey-ho!' A jolly voice called out as Draco felt a small hand on his shoulder. Luckily, Draco learned from last time never to punch before looking, so he settled for turning around._

_'Bex?'_

'Hey, you're 'Mione's new man, aren't you! Drake, or something, wasn't it?' Bex grinned. She had ditched the blood red lipstick Draco had last seen her wearing, and instead had opted for a deep purple shade. Her hair was completely jet black now, though, and was arranged in a crazy fashion. On her, though, the look worked pretty well.

'Draco,' he corrected her. 'You look different.'

'I know,' she twirled a stray lock of her hair before letting it fall. 'I was looking at myself in the mirror and decided that I needed a change in my look.' She explained. She gave Draco a once-over and tiptoed to peek behind his back. '_You_, however, are not with 'Mione. Where is the girl anyway? Did you like the little tips I gave her?' she gave a cheeky grin.

'Hermione is at home, resting.' Draco replied curtly. They stood in silence for a few moments.

'Well then, do you want to continue standing here, or do you want to go have some brunch with me?' Bex offered.

'Yeah, okay,' Draco said. It wasn't like he had anything to do anyway. And besides, Hermione grew up with Bex didn't she? Maybe if Draco had spent more time with Bex, he'd know more about Hermione, and finally figure out what to do next.

'So, if you don't mind me asking, are things alright between you and Hermione?' Bex asked as they waited for their food to come.

'I suppose...' Draco muttered. 'Not.' He let out a breath he hadn't know he'd been holding.

'I guessed as much,' Bex shrugged. 'What was it about?'

'Her Grandmother.' Draco responded and Bex gave him a knowing nod and rolled her eyes.

'Lily's in town, isn't she. Yes, well, that makes the two of us.'

'Lily doesn't like you too?' Draco asked.

'Not much. She thinks of me as a wild child and sort of despises my Mom just because she's a single mother, which I find pretty insulting, don't you think? I mean, Hermione and I are still best buds, but whenever Lily's around I just stay away from the house. Anna says it's 'cos both Lily and I have strong, different characters.' Bex gave a shrug.

'But you and Hermione are still friends?' Draco asked.

'Well if we aren't then I must have been hugging the wrong person at the club!' Bex laughed, before quietening down. 'There is no reason that you should have to stay away from Hermione just because of her Grandmother. I know Hermione thinks the world of Lily, but that doesn't mean you have to as well. Think about it, does Hermione know and dislike anyone in your family?' Bex asked.

'More than one.' Draco said.

'So there you have it.' Bex leaned back in her chair; pleased to know she has solved a problem for her friend. 'So what did you two do? Argue over Lily or what?'

'No, it was more of a...' Draco's voice trailed off. Should he really trust Bex so much? He barely even knew the girl.

'If you don't want to tell me, it's all right, I'm totally fine with it.' Bex nodded.

'No, it's not that, I just don't want to go much into it right now,' he lied. He knew Hermione trusted Bex, but then again Hermione trusted Lily too, and look at where that had gotten them?

'So, what are you going to do about Hermione now?' Bex asked.

Draco stayed silent for a moment, before letting out a sigh. 'I'm not particularly sure,' he said as he stirred his tea. Despite his recent resolution to return to his guarded self around people, something about Bex's personality made it difficult for him to stick to the resolution. Something about her character reminded him strongly of Blaise.

'If I know Hermione, she'll most probably be beating herself up about it as well.' She chuckled, 'even if it isn't her fault, she'd always blame herself. You'd think that since she was so smart, she would have more brains than to blame herself.'

'Hermione's good that way, I suppose,' Draco agreed, stirring his tea even more, although he never sipped it.

'That's our Hermione,' Bex agreed.

* * *

Hermione was awoken by the sounds of pebbles against her window. She straightened up, wincing when the action caused some of her back muscles to scream in protest. She glanced at the clock; it read 3 in the afternoon. She must have finally fallen asleep while reading the lengthy article on how Petignettes, a French herb, could have different properties and uses when it was placed in the same broth during different times of the day.

She gazed around, disorientated, for a moment, while the pebbles continued to hurl against her window. She finally got up, but had to pause for a moment as the room swayed dizzily, and walked to her window. A pebble narrowly missed her head when she opened the window.

'What?' She snapped.

'Hermione? You're okay!' a familiar voice rejoiced in a loud stage whisper.

Hermione's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. 'Ben?'

'Yeah, it's me! I was pressing the doorbell for hours but nobody answered. Will said you were home, though, so I thought you might have passed out concussed or something.' Ben replied, his volume still low.

'I fell asleep!' Hermione dropped her volume to match his, before saying, 'Hold on a second, I'll be down in a moment.'

'No wait! I'll climb up.' Ben stopped her and began his ascent up the old apple tree.

'Wait a second!'

Hermione quickly placed the heavy tome back into the shelf and disguised it with a spell, before returning back to the window.

'Okay, you can come now!'

She watched eagerly as Ben climbed up the apple tree, feeling a wave of nostalgia wash over her as she remembered how half her childhood memories consisted of watching Ben climb up this very tree and climb into her room. Oh sure, he could use the front door, but where was the fun in that?

'Stay back,' Ben reminded her, as he always had since they were 8. With that, he lunged into the room through the window, and his leg caught on the windowsill, as he fell to the floor with a thud.

'Ben!' Hermione gasped as she ran forward to help him up. 'Are you all right?'

Ben gave a grunt as he stood up, waving her concerned hands away. 'I'm fine; it's just been a while since I've done this, and I've forgotten how much I'd grown.' He gave Hermione a familiar toothy grin.

'What are you doing here anyway?' Hermione asked.

'I was just bored and wanted to see if you were free, or something,' he shrugged.

'Can I ask a question?' Hermione asked, 'why are we even whispering in the first place?'

They both looked at each other for a moment, before bursting out into a round of laughter.

'Yeah, that was pretty stupid,' Ben agreed, his volume returning to normal.

'Quite,' Hermione echoed. The events of last night suddenly flashed back to her and she felt a wave of sadness rush over her.

Ben must have caught the look that passed her face. 'Hey, is everything all right, Hermione?' Ben asked almost immediately, his eyes clouded with concern.

'Yeah,' Hermione lied, 'just a bit tired, is all.'

'So,' Ben's voice trailed off as he sat on her bed, and and gave her a toothy grin. 'What do you feel like doing today?'

* * *

'No way, Hermione _punched_ you?' Bex asked, her mouth hanging open, offering Draco a view of her half-chewed food, which he would really prefer to not have seen.

'Yup. Right there on my chin. Never forgot that day.' Draco affirmed and took another bite of the fish and chips he had ordered.

Under ordinary circumstances, he wouldn't have settled for anything less than the grade of a sirloin steak with some well-aged wine to go with it, but under Bex's persuasion he had ordered the meal and was beginning to feel grateful that he did. Never had deep-fried beer battered fish seem so appealing to him than it had now, when his unforgiving stomach was grumbling, due to the lack of food from the morning.

'Didn't expect that of 'Mione,' Bex frowned for a second. 'She always seemed more of the type to talk her head off in a battle.'

'I'm just thankful she didn't have a book with her that day. She might have just whacked my head with it.' Draco paused for dramatic effect. 'Have you ever seen _any_ of the books she reads? They're _that_ thick.'

'I reckon if Hermione went to war the only way she'd win is to start reciting some boring information until her opponent kills himself out of boredom.' Bex laughed.

'Ha, yeah.' Draco chuckled, before biting his tongue, literally. It felt wrong to be laughing about Hermione. Bex seemed to notice this.

'Oops, sorry.' She apologized as she cut up another portion of her fish and popped it in her mouth after slathering it with tartar sauce. 'Shouldn't have gone that far.'

'It's all right. I shouldn't have followed.' Draco muttered.

Awkward silence ensued.

'Listen, what are the rest of your plans for the day?' Bex enquired.

'I don't have one. Just planned on walking around town.' _And avoiding Hermione_, he added silently.

'Well, I've got a new gig at this club at this place,' Bex said slowly, 'would you like to come help me set up?'

* * *

'No, Ben, it's not a _bag_ of flour! Just a _cup_!' Hermione laughed and playfully slapped Ben's hands away from the measuring cup. 'I'll do it.'

'You're such a killjoy, 'Mione.' Ben mock whined, but moved over nevertheless to let her measure the flour. 'So, what can I help with?'

'Well, you can't crack an egg to save your life,' Hermione gestured towards the clear mixing bowl where bits of crushed eggshell laid suspended in the egg white liquid, 'nor can you cut apples without risking the loss of a finger,' she pointed at his thumb which was now bandaged, 'and we've just proven that you can't read very well either,' and she laughed when she had to duck the fistful of flour Ben had thrown at her, 'but! Fret not, my dear friend, you can clean up the mess and eat the food once I'm done.' She gave him a cheerful grin.

'So what's the point of baking when I don't do anything?' Ben asked, throwing his hands up.

'Yes you are doing _something_! You doing _nothing_ is the biggest help that you can offer. Now stand aside and watch the master bake.' Hermione smirked and gave a little curtsy.

Ben growled at her but stepped aside anyway and leaned against the counter and watched her as she sifted the flour and mixed the wet ingredients manually.

'This reminds me of the time when we were six. Before you left for boarding school.' Ben said, his voice wistful. No doubt he was thinking of how much easier things were between them. Innocent afternoons between two bosom friends.

'Yeah. Well, we both were horrible in the kitchen, as I recall, and we tried to _cook_ the cake,' Hermione said, oblivious to the change in tone of Ben's voice. 'That didn't go well.'

'Not very.' Ben echoed, his gaze becoming more intense on Hermione's face. If Hermione noticed, she didn't let on that she did.

'So where's the almighty boyfriend?' Ben asked casually. Hermione's breath caught as she suddenly jerked, before shaking her head as if shaking a bad thought away. In a sense, she was. She was trying to forget about Draco and the horrible recent events, and concentrate on spending the afternoon with her closest non-Magical friend, although it would make it a lot easier if Ben's testosterone levels would ease up and make him quit being so... Territorial.

'Off to see town,' Hermione replied, struggling keeping her voice light. She rejected any images her brain was recalling. Lily accusing Draco with a hard glint in her eyes... The tone of Draco's voice before he'd walked off... The way he had rejected Hermione's explanations... Then suddenly, it all came crashing down on her all at once and she broke off the mixing with a sob.

Ben was at her side immediately, his arm around her as if to prevent her from falling.

'Hermione!'

'No, it's all right,' Hermione managed between sobs, letting her tears run freely down her cheeks and onto Ben's shirt as she held onto him. 'Just let me get it all out.'

So they stood there for a long while, until Hermione's hiccups from crying subsided and all she could hear was Ben crooning silently to her.

'Want to tell me anything?' Ben asked. Hermione shook her head, certain that he would be able to feel it. 'All right then.' He conceded and continued to hold her in his arms.

* * *

'This is some interesting equipment here,' Draco commented.

'You act like you've never seen this before,' Bex laughed, unaware of how Draco had froze for a moment when she said it, before chuckling quietly. If only Bex knew how spot-on she was...

'So how do you usually do a show?' Draco asked as he took a seat.

'Well, I arrive about 4 hours prior just to get a feel of the place and run sound checks and everything. I know, _4 hours_, you must be thinking that I'm a nutjob, but I'd like it best if I knew the environment better, and the type of crowd that comes, so I'd know which music best to play. And then of course I just put on some music and dance around.' Bex grinned as she slid on her first track and Draco watched as he fingers flew across the panel in a blur as she mixed it with some heavy bass beat and if he guessed correctly, an upbeat tempo from a violin.

'Yeah, my range of musical instruments is huge, I have it from a cello,' she slipped on a track to demonstrate her point, 'to a full-out hardcore heavy metal rock guitar,' she switched tracks, 'or maybe, even some African drums.' She grinned and mimicked the beat of the ethnic drums by tapping lightly on her panel.

'And you manage to use them in one tune?' Draco asked incredulously.

'It took me practice to try imagine how they'd sound like and even more practice to get them in the right sync. I do most of them impromptu, so if I screw up it's mostly live, which would of course suck ass,' she gave a dramatic sigh and flipped her hair in her best bimbo-impersonation. 'But, thankfully, that hasn't happened. Yet. Touch wood nine hundred and ninety-nine times.' She grinned.

'Sounds incredibly risky.' Draco commented.

'I think that's what life's about. Don't you?' Bex looked him in the eye with a look that clearly meant more than just an inquiry and suddenly Draco felt a tad uncomfortable.

'Yes well, definitely.' Draco said smoothly, not willing to let on his rattled emotions.

Was Bex trying to play for Draco? _But she wouldn't, would she? Hermione's her best friend. She wouldn't turn on Hermione just like that... right?_ Draco shook his head, as if to dismiss the thought.

Just then, Bex turned on some unfamiliar Muggle music and hopped onto the stage where the poles were. Draco immediately stiffened at what was about to happen.

_You can call me x,  
you can call me y,  
you can call me z.  
You can come and try.  
Come and try._

Bex grinned at Draco as she positioned herself over in front of the pole and slid down as easily as a snake would twirl around a vine. Her grin turned into a smirk as she spread her knees open when she reached the floor, and curled her body up slowly. It didn't help that her skirt was so short and Draco could see practically everything.

___Don't know what you think you're doing to me,  
(Hey! Stripper, Hey! Stripper)  
Don't know what you see its getting to me,  
(Hey! Stripper, Hey! I wanna be your mister)  
Na na, Na na, Na na, Na na, Na  
Na na, Na na, Na na, Na na, Na  
Na na, Na na, Na na, Na na, Na  
Na na, Na na, Na na, Na na, Na_

Draco knew he should turn and walk off, but for some unfathomable reason he just couldn't take his eyes off the wild girl on stage as she expertly slid up and down the pole, grinding herself against the metal bar.

_____Like your perfume,  
Your skin is smooth.  
The way you move,  
I'm in the mood.  
Tease the crowd,  
Please the crowd,  
I'm boiling I want you to see me now.  
You get me girl,  
When you're nervous well,  
And when your hand is in the thong.  
You may be right,  
I close them tight,  
You're saving the best for me tonight._

Bex's smirk turned to a full-out sensual smile as she slid up and down the pole, and as if on a whim, she discarded her top, so that the pole would slide between her breasts. She slid off the stage as easily as she got on, her breasts bouncing with her and she toyed with a long necklace around her neck. Draco couldn't look anywhere else. _____  
_

_____I've come to stare,  
I've come to stare,  
You like me to stare?  
_

Bex suddenly whirled around and smacked her bottom before turning back to Draco. ______

I've come to stare,  
I've come to stare,  
You like me to stare?  
I am a voyeur.

She reached Draco by this time, and he held with bated breath on what was going to happen next.

'So, think I'd make it as one of them then?' She inquired casually, referring to the pole-dancing girls, as she slid her weight to one foot, jutting out a hip. Draco just gaped at her for a moment.

___  
Don't know what you think you're doing to me,  
(Hey! Stripper, Hey! Stripper)  
Don't know what you see its getting to me,  
Hey! Stripper, Hey! I wanna be your mister)  
Na na, Na na, Na na, Na na, Na  
Na na, Na na, Na na, Na na, Na  
Na na, Na na, Na na, Na na, Na  
Na na, Na na, Na na, Na na, Na_

Suddenly the idea of Bex just playing to get her best friend's boyfriend seemed all too possible.

**A/N: Well, here it is. The long overdue Chapter 10. Suddenly my brain juices are flowing and I can type again. Woohoo!**


	11. Chapter 11

'I think I had best be going off now,' Draco said stiffly, regarding her with cold eyes.

'Aw, come on Drakie! It's all in the name of fun,' Bex insisted as she located her discarded top and slung it over her shoulders casually.

Draco stood up and drew himself to full height, glaring at her now.

'If you think that I'm going to allow you to just double cross Hermione like that, you've got another think coming,' he paused, 'and it's _Draco_.' he snarled.

He turned and stormed off.

Bex sighed and shook her head as she slid into the seat Draco had just vacated.

_What were you thinking, Malfoy. No, not even close. You _weren't_ thinking at all. Bloody hell, you should have run at the first chance there was, but no, you sat there, gaping at her like a fucking goldfish! Goddamn, this is the whole Julie fiasco all over! Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

Draco finished the last drop of his Firewhisky and asked for another. He had Apparated himself to a low-key pub over at Wiltshire, and felt the strong need to cleanse his mind with some thinking. And a couple of Firewhiskies. Or maybe he was just hoping that he'd drop dead because the Firewhisky he was currently drinking was meant for that shady man opposite the bar and his enemies had added some lethal potion into the drink. Maybe if he dropped dead then his head wouldn't be hurting so much anyway.

It wasn't as if he didn't love Hermione, but there was always temptation, and Draco never had to resist temptation up until a few months ago...

He growled in frustration, mostly at himself as he finished the last drop of his Firewhisky.

Suddenly, he heard a voice that he never would have imagined hearing at a place like this.

'No, I wouldn't like a drink. Just meeting somebody.'

He froze on the spot, unable to move. _Mother?_

* * *

'I'm okay now Ben,' Hermione sniffled. 'You can let go now.'

'Are you sure?' Ben asked. Hermione nodded and released her arms. Ben, unsure of what to do, gave her a squeeze and released her slowly, eyeing her warily as if she would burst out crying again.

'So, what has he done this time?' Ben asked, scuffing his shoe, before immediately glancing up. 'I mean, you don't have to answer if you don't want to.' _Don't cry or anything. _He didn't say it but Hermione could practically see it in his eyes. Ben never knew what to do when people cried.

'It was what Gran did, actually.' Hermione heard herself saying in a small voice.

'Lily?' Ben asked, unable to believe her.

'She said all these mean things about Draco, and he thought that I followed her as well, so he got pissed off.' Hermione felt her nose tingling again and rubbed her eyes in an attempt to relieve them of their soreness. 'We haven't spoke since.'

'And I suppose he just disappeared for the day?' Ben asked, with an undertone of disgust.

Hermione found herself glaring at him. 'It's both his fault and mine. His for being the prideful arse he is and mine for even thinking Gran was going to go easy on him. If you're just going to be sitting around and badmouthing Draco, I suggest you leave.'

Ben, unable to come up with a response for this, stood up, stormed to the door, and slammed it behind him. Hermione sighed heavily and looked around the kitchen, looking at the mess she and Ben (well, it was more of Ben, actually) had made.

'By the way,' Ben suddenly poked his head through the door, causing Hermione to jump, 'if you ever find my friend again, Hermione, you know, the one whom I grew up with and used to think boys were a waste of time? Tell her to call me, I miss her.' And closed the door again. Hermione stared at the door for a moment before raising her eyebrows quizzically.

* * *

'Y'sure?' the gruff bartender asked.

'Yes, very.' Narcissa said and Draco could hear her give him a tight-lipped smile, as how she would usually react to the other wives of his father's friends' when they tried to pry some gossip about her husband and his latest 'work' project. He shifted himself slightly back so as to try hear his mother better but nearly toppled over his drink.

Silently, he cursed himself, and hoped he didn't attract any attention to himself. He tried as discreetly as possible to slide away from the light so that his blond hair wouldn't glint off under the light and give his position away. As soon as he deemed it safe, he slinked off to a loveseat not too far away and cast a temporary spell to turn his black for safety measures. It was his mother all right, her hair was a dead giveaway and she was sitting on the very edge of her seat, and he knew it was because she couldn't bear to sit on something that others of the lower social class had once sat on before, but she didn't want to stand while waiting as she deemed it 'improper'.

''Cissa,' another figure joined her and the familiar voice greeted her. Draco's eyes nearly popped out of his sockets right then.

* * *

'Hermione?' Draco called out tentatively as he closed the house door behind him gently. He heard commotion from under the kitchen counter and immediately drew out his wand, holding it out before him.

'Hermione?' he asked again, albeit more cautiously.

'Over here,' came a tiny voice and he rushed towards the kitchen.

'Hermione?' Draco asked in confusion. 'What were you doing?' He ran his fingers through her hair, trying to get rid of the humongous amount of flour that had fallen onto her head and stuck in her hair.

'Baking,' she replied, before running her fingers through her hair, wrinkling her nose at the flour. 'I tried to clean up, but well...' she gestured awkwardly.

'You are a witch you know,' Draco reminded her lightly, casting a silent spell to return the kitchen to its previous clean state. 'Now as for you...' he pulled her closer and placed his arms around her waist. 'I figure you are in a dire need of a nice hot piping shower?'

Silence ensued for a moment, before Hermione finally looked up into his eyes and said, 'that would be nice, yes, thank you.' And the last thing she felt was the uncomfortable pull of an Apparation spell.

**A/N: I know, this is terribly short, but I felt that this was a good place to stop, you know, the whole cliffhanger issue. Well, you'll have to wait to see what happens next ;)**


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